Condemned Time
by rukia4ichigo
Summary: sequel to Inherited Nightmares - A new threat has invaded Soul Society! Realizing that there is no other hope, Urahara sends his daughter, Liliana, and her best friend, Aiko Kurosaki, back 30 years in time, but the new threat catches on and follows them.
1. Invasion, Part 1

Hey everyone! Well, here's the long-awaited first chapter of Condemned Time. I'm sorry that things were slow during the past 5 or 6 months, but at least I got the first chapter done! Actually, I decided to split the original first chapter into 2 chapters because of its length. We can't have a chapter that is twice as long as the other ones, can't we?

I do have to warn you that there are MANY character deaths in this chapter, but it's nearly full of action. However, there will not be a video version of this story because there are 10 OCs (8 of which are mine), and that will just be too hard to do. So this story is just going to be a fanfiction. I have also posted more OC bios on my profile so you will get the idea of what the characters in this story will be like, as well as the newer ones.

Speaking of videos, DarkRukia1986 has been terminated because of the 13th video of Incomplete Sorrows. I have a new account though – KanekoXLiamB – and the chat videos there will not have any music at all. I'm not going to go with the risk of having music that's going to be pegged for copyright issues. The AMVs and slideshows, however, will have music for obvious reasons.

With all that said, hope you enjoy this story!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach, but I do own the storyline and 8 OCs that are involved in this story: Ryuichi and Aiko Kurosaki, Liliana Urahara, Necrios, Lilicia, Ashanan, Kraton, and Neron (not to be confused with the comic book super villain of the same name...I created this character long before I knew said villain even existed). Ruby and Jade Carmine are owned by my friend Koffin Cat (originally known as Kung Man149).

* * *

**Chapter 1: Invasion, Part 1**

It had been fifteen years since the most recent events with Aizen, and things were once again peaceful in Sereitei.

Yoruichi went back to her position of Covert Ops leader a year after giving birth to her beautiful daughter, Liliana, who, at the age of 14 entered the Academy to train with the Assassination Squad. Even though her mother was going to be her leader once she graduates, Liliana admired Soi Fon, and she hoped to one day be like her.

After the event that happened in Karakura – the espadas' invasion that destroyed half of the town – Hitsugaya resigned from his position to be with Karin. It took a lot of convincing on his part to make his resignation final, but he knew he did the right thing. After all, he had made a promise to protect the woman he loved and he wanted to do whatever it took to make his promise a reality. As soon as he arrived in the World of the Living, he proposed to Karin and they had a small wedding at the same place where Rukia and Ichigo got married, which was by the river.

Jade took Hitsugaya's place as the new captain of Tenth Division. It took a while for Matsumoto and the other members of Tenth Division to get used to their new captain though, but Jade was no different than Hitsugaya, showing the same leadership qualities and cold personality.

Ryuichi and Ruby got married ten years into their relationship, and Ruby is now pregnant. Ryuichi was overjoyed when he had found out, and he could not wait to enjoy a family of his own.

Ichigo and Rukia were also ecstatic when they heard the news. Unlike his father who was in tears when he found out about Ryuichi and then about Aiko being born, Ichigo played it cool. He just gave his son a hug and congratulated him and his wife. Ichigo was also proud of his sister for marrying the man she loved, and he and Hitsugaya started to get along better shortly before the wedding.

However, little did anyone know that there was going to be a major crisis heading their way.

Ryuichi wrapped his arms around his wife as they sat on the roof of their house, gazing at the full moon and the stars surrounding it. He smiled at her protruding stomach and gently touched it. Ruby rested her head on her husband's shoulder as they shared this blissful moment together. Ryuichi kissed her head, and Ruby smiled at the touch.

Jade watched them from behind the chimney. He could never admit that he and Ryuichi had become friends, but he trusted the Kurosaki with his sister. He did not want to disturb them, but lately he had felt uneasy about something. He was not sure what it was, but this…feeling told him that something sinister was going to happen soon, he felt that Ryuichi and Ruby would want to know about it. They say that twins could have simultaneous feelings, so he was certain that Ruby had felt it too.

He stepped around the chimney and cleared his throat, causing Ryuichi and Ruby to turn around.

Ryuichi scowled. "Hey green freak, we're busy here, so go away." Ruby rolled her eyes at the insult.

Jade sighed in response. "Funny how you would make fun of my hair when you should look at yours."

Ryuichi chuckled. "Get a girlfriend, Jade."

"And might I remind you that I'm a captain now. Call me Carmine-Taichou and show respect."

Ryuichi chuckled once again. "Whatever, Jade."

Jade twitched in annoyance. If it weren't for the fact that his rival was his brother-in-law, he would kill him for the lack of respect he was receiving. "I'm not here to fight with you, Ryuichi. It's an urgent matter that I must talk over with you and Ruby."

Ruby stood up. "What's wrong, Jade?"

"Something's coming," Jade replied. "I have this foreboding feeling that I can't shake off. I was wondering if you felt it too since you're my twin sister, Ruby."

Ruby looked thoughtful for a moment. "Now that you mention it, I _do_ feel something odd. Have you told anyone else about this?"

Jade shook his head. "No. You and the loser," Ryuichi twitched, "are the first ones that I've told so far."

"Then perhaps you should convey this at the captains' meeting tomorrow," Ruby suggested.

Jade nodded. "That's precisely what I'm thinking. I'll see you tomorrow, Ruby."

Ruby smiled. "Yep, later, Jade."

When Jade used shunpo to leave the roof, Ryuichi watched him with a scowl. "He's one to talk. I'm a family man now."

Ruby sighed. "I wish you two wouldn't have to fight so much. I mean, you guys are allies now."

"Doesn't mean we're friends," Ryuichi said.

Ruby laughed softly. Ryuichi looked at her questioningly. "You don't want to admit it," Ruby said.

"Maybe there's nothing to admit," Ryuichi stated stubbornly.

"Let's go inside," Ruby suggested. They jumped off the roof and walked through their front door before shutting it behind them.

* * *

The next morning, Ruby and Jade were walking around in the outskirts of Soul Society at a place that was very special to them. This place, a cliff area facing District 73 of Rukongai, was where Hitsugaya had saved them from a hollow years ago. It was that very place where they had made their decision to be shinigami. They felt a strong sense of rendezvous every time they visited this area.

It would be about fifteen minutes before Jade's meeting with the other captains, and he and Ruby were turning around to head back to Sereitei.

Suddenly, Ruby felt a lot of pain in her chest, and she stopped breathing the moment the pain hit her. Stunned, she looked down, only to find an arrow pierced through her right lung. She looked up to Jade, who was staring at her with shocked eyes. "J-Jade..." Blood sputtered from her lips as she spoke. Then she collapsed.

Jade caught her before she hit the ground and set her down on his lap. When he looked into her eyes, they were lifeless. Blood continued to drip from her frozen lips, and all traces of reiatsu had disappeared from her. It was at that moment that Jade realized...his sister and the child growing inside of her were dead.

His hands shook as he held his sister tightly and screamed in agony. Tears streamed down the seemingly emotionless captain's face as he bent over his sister's lifeless form.

_What the hell happened? _He thought to himself, _Who's the motherfucker who _did_ this?_

It was at that moment that a female voice interfered with his moment of pain. "How touching, I thought grown men don't cry."

Jade's head snapped up to see a dark-haired woman wearing green garments of silk and chiffon. He set his sister down and stood up, an aura of reiatsu surrounding him. "Did _you_ do this?" He shrieked.

The woman chuckled. "No I didn't, you look quite handsome. It makes me want to pull out your heart and eat it." She licked her lips.

"Who the _fuck_ are you?" Jade demanded as his reiatsu continued to increase.

"My name is Lilicia, and it's time for me to have my way with you—in other words, kill you." Lilicia's smirk grew wider with anticipation.

Jade could not keep himself calm any longer. Reiatsu exploded outwards and his eyes glowed white. An enormous ball of energy enveloped him as lightning crackled all around him. He drew his zampakutou and it automatically released its shikai. The scythe whipped outwards, bound for Lilicia, who dodged it with ease. The scythe followed her and she continued to swiftly dodge it.

"You're quite the angry one," Lilicia noted as she continued to dodge the scythe. "I was told of a boy who had destroyed Las Noches with his power. So _you're_ him. Interesting. Let's see if you have any more of that reiatsu left. This dodging is quite the warm-up; it's making me thirst for your blood." She licked her lips as she continued to hungrily stare at her enraged opponent.

Jade gritted his teeth and let out more reiatsu. The energy ball surrounding him turned scarlet red and cracked open as if it were an egg. A denser cloud of reiatsu rose out of the crack like smoke and transformed into a demon's head. Its eyes glowed a blinding white light and red reiatsu circulated within the head like a bloodstream.

Lilicia stared incredulously at the sight. "Wow! How beautiful...yet dangerous."

"Haipā Kyōmei Khōgekiha!" Jade shrieked in an animalistic voice, and his reiatsu exploded once again. It spread wider along the ground, levelling everything in its wake. It even swallowed Ruby's body in its path.

Lilicia's smile turned into a shocked stare as she tried to avoid the terrible detonation.

Then it was not long before everything went quiet.

* * *

Rukia was cleaning up after breakfast while her husband was sparring with Ryuichi outside. Aiko was attending the Academy, so Rukia was the only one inside the house.

She stopped scrubbing a plate when she noticed a strange crimson tint in the distant horizon. "What's this?" She whispered to herself. "It appears to be over Rukongai, but what is it? What's going on?"

Suddenly, a man appeared behind her. He was dressed in a black, leather archer's outfit with a quiver attached to his right thigh. His blond hair was tied back and glasses reflected the light. In his hands was a black bow with an arrow poised to shoot; he was aiming this arrow at Rukia's back, between her shoulders.

Rukia's breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned her head around to face this man. "Who...are you?" She asked silently.

"My name is Kraton, and you're my next victim," Kraton said. His baritone voice seemed to bring chills down Rukia's spine.

"N-next?" Rukia repeated, shocked by his words.

"That's right, woman," Kraton replied. "I killed a red-haired woman over there," he jerked his head towards the area under the crimson portion of the sky. "I could sense something inside of her, so I could guess she was pregnant. She was standing with a captain with green hair. Since you're a shinigami as well, I suppose you knew her."

Rukia's eyes widened with even greater shock than before. Ruby? Her daughter-in-law? She could only imagine how Ryuichi would react if he ever found out.

"You _do_ know her," Kraton said, his expression unchanged. "Then you should join her."

Rukia gritted her teeth. She had to get out of this situation, but her zampakutou was in her room. She had to do something!

"You want to get your zampakutou, don't you?" Kraton questioned as though he was reading Rukia's mind. "It's futile. My arrows are coated with a very rare poison that can kill you within seconds, no matter how strong or immune you may be. There never has been an antidote and there ever will be. Also keep in mind that I'm a fast shot and 100% accurate, so the second you move, I won't hesitate to shoot."

Where was Ichigo when she needed him? Rukia felt like she was backed into a corner. She had to do something to fight back before it was all over. If she died, then at least she will die trying to fight back.

She held out her right hand and placed the other on her bicep. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took in a jagged breath and shouted, "Hadou 33 – Sokatsui!"

Without a moment of hesitation, Kraton let his arrow go—the elastic string bounced back to its dormant state with a snap.

Then everything fell quiet. The blue fireball was cancelled out by the arrow, which was lodged deep inside Rukia's heart. Her face twisted in agony, Rukia dropped to her knees, and fell at Kraton's feet. Trickles of blood dripped from the wound and from her pale and frozen lips. All traces of reiatsu disappeared along with her pulse, and she lay there...lifeless.

Satisfied with his work, Kraton turned on his heel and left the house.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the area that had once been a part of District 73, a cloud of smoke from the aftermath of the explosion was clearing. Jade stood in the nothingness, panting from depletion of his reiatsu. He looked around, trying to find Ruby or his opponent. To his dismay, he could not find his sister anywhere. However, he _did_ see what looked like a pair of black, scaly wings folded over like those of a bat. Jade growled for he had realized that the attack did not work against his adversary.

The wings unfolded to reveal Lilicia in her demon form. Her eyes were a crimson red, and they had a fierce, vampire-like stare. The wings—massive, bat-like wings—spread out on either side of her back. Her hands were razor-sharp claws and her grey skin was just as scaly as her wings. Fangs appeared like stalactites instead of her canines.

"What...the fuck...are you?" Jade questioned in between breaths.

Lilicia changed back into her human-like form and stepped forward. "A demon from the Realm of Shadows," she answered, "a succubus, if you will. My prey is only handsome men like you."

Jade gritted his teeth as he tried to move. It was at that moment that he realized that he was paralyzed. "What the hell?"

Lilicia cocked her head to the side as she grinned. "You're my next victim. You should be honoured. Stand."

Jade stood up immediately, realizing that she was now controlling his actions. "Damn it! Let me go, you bitch!"

Lilicia was now a foot in front of him. "There's no need to fight anymore." Jade's weapon dropped from his hands. "It's over now," Lilicia whispered as she wrapped her arms around the captain, who was now staring at her in a trance. Their lips touched and Lilicia pressed her body close against Jade's.

Not too far into their passionate kiss, Jade's life was sucked out of him and his heart ceased beating. Then immediately, he turned into dust, leaving behind his clothes, which dropped to the ground.

Lilicia brushed the remaining dust off her clothes. "You're a good kisser," she commented, "too bad you never had a girlfriend. Well, time for me to find more men out there." Turning back into her demon form, she flapped her wings and took off into the sky, leaving the destruction and Jade's clothes behind her.

* * *

Ichigo and Ryuichi were on their way home when the attacks started happening. Ryuichi froze mid-step when a terrible feeling rose in his chest. He could not breathe and he felt as though his heart had shattered into millions of tiny fragments.

"What's wrong, Ryuichi?" Ichigo asked, concerned.

It took a while for Ryuichi to find his voice. "Ruby…her reiatsu signal…it disappeared!"

Ichigo closed his eyes in concentration and then opened them in shock. "Go then." Ryuichi used shunpo to leave the area immediately.

Not more than a second afterwards, Ichigo's breath caught in his throat when he felt a very similar and familiar feeling. "R-Rukia?" He whispered. He took off into a run towards his house.

Ryuichi came to a halt when he arrived at the detonated area once known as District 73. He frantically looked left and right among the wreckage, but he could not find his wife. "RUBY!" He screamed, but no voice was heard other than his echoes.

Something caught his eye and he turned around, only to see Jade's shinigami garments and captain's haori lying on the ground. Ryuichi stepped towards the clothes. "What happened?" He asked no one is particular. "Has Ruby…met the same fate?"

He was about to continue his search when he turned to face the pile of clothes once again. He would never admit his friendship to the green-haired captain, but he respected him as a man. After all, he _was _the younger Kurosaki's brother-in-law. "You may have been an asshole, but you cared about Ruby so much. You were especially an asset in Hueco Mundo. Rest in peace, man, whatever happened."

He turned and walked towards the wreckage, rummaging through rock and dirt in many places, but he could not find Ruby anywhere. The more he rummaged, the more he panicked. What if she was caught in the explosion he heard and partially felt? That _could never _have happened! She was expecting his child! Just what could have possibly happened to her?

He noticed a dark, greyish tint against the crushed rock and ran towards it. It was very unrecognizable, but Ryuichi could tell that it was the Ruby's remains.

His heart raced as he fell to his knees. Tears started to stream from his eyes as he tightened his fists. The life he was excited for—his love, his child—was gone. He threw his head back and screamed in agony. So this was what it was like—the heartbreak, the torment of losing someone close to you. Ryuichi felt as if a large part of his soul was ripped away.

He did not want to cry anymore. Someone has _got_ to pay for this! Nothing else mattered anymore.

He stood up—a furious and murderous stare flared in his eyes—and took off from the area using shunpo.

* * *

Ashanan, the self-proclaimed master of illusion and the elements, grinned maliciously as a troop of shinigami ran towards him, zampakutou held tightly in their grips. The nearby buildings were already engulfed in flames and the concrete ground was already cracked and broken, as though an earthquake had just gone through it.

"Naive shinigami," he thought to himself as he faded into a nearby building.

The shinigami stopped running and looked around frantically for their target. At that moment, the ground beneath their feet shook, causing them to panic and try to stand. Then an enormous wall of fire erupted from the ground, swallowing the confused shinigami from underneath.

The fire extinguished itself and Ashanan stood among the burnt and charred corpses. "Watch where you're standing," he quipped with a chuckle. He shook his head. "Jeez, you'd think they'd be worth the fight," he said with a shrug and he walked away from the wreckage.

"Growl, Haineko!" Matsumoto's voice was heard as clouds of ash enshrouded the demon.

"Oh please," Ashanan said as he rolled his eyes. "A little dust storm like this is nothing!" He conjured a bunch of wind and the ashes blew away.

"Reap, Kazeshini!" Hisagi shouted as his katana split into two scythes. He threw a scythe towards Ashanan, who rolled his eyes in boredom. "Can't you be more original?" He muttered in a monotone voice as he disappeared, allowing the scythe to pass through him. The scythe boomeranged back towards Hisagi and he caught it. Matsumoto landed on the ground beside him.

"He's tricky," Hisagi noted. His wife nodded in agreement as they watched for their adversary.

"Strange, I can't feel his reiatsu," Matsumoto said.

"That's because I don't have any," Ashanan replied as he sent gusts of wind towards them. They grunted and shielded their faces as they tried to fight off the wind. Hisagi grabbed Matsumoto's arm and they flash-stepped several feet away before the wind could do any more damage. It had already started to cut them slightly from its shear force.

Ashanan crossed his arms over his chest with the palms facing outwards. Immediately, two lightning bolts crashed down simultaneously. More lightning followed and Hisagi and Matsumoto tried to dodge each one.

Ashanan laughed maniacally as he continued to summon lightning bolts. "You can't dodge them forever!" He exclaimed in excitement. He twisted his wrists and torrential rain poured from the sky, but the lightning kept coming. "Try this on for size! They say water and electricity form quite a disastrous result!"

"Fuck!" Hisagi cursed as he shielded Matsumoto from the horrific storm, shutting his eyes for he knew that the end was near. A lightning bolt struck his back and he started to plummet to the ground.

Matsumoto tried to wake her barely conscious husband, but she was unsuccessful.

Ashanan pointed a palm towards them and summoned a gust of wind, which ripped through Matsumoto and Hisagi until they crashed against the ground. Then everything was quiet.

"That was fun while it lasted," Ashanan said as he lowered his palm. "But I want more."

"Then fight me then!" A voice sounded in the distance.

Ashanan turned around to face Ryuichi, who had his zampakutou drawn and released.

* * *

Ichigo ran into his house in a panic and looked around for his wife. His eyes laid on her sprawled on the floor with her eyes widened and, most horrifying, an arrow stuck in her chest. There was no trace of life left in her eyes, and blood was slowly pooling around her deceased body.

Ichigo slowly walked towards her, tears streaming from his face. Who could have done this? Why? Why did this have to happen? He was guilty—guiltier than he ever was. _I promised my soul that I would protect her! I wasn't here when this happened! If only I had come here in time! Then I would have stopped whoever it was that did this!_

He fell to his knees beside Rukia and held her tightly in his arms, burying his face in her hair. He closed his eyes tightly. She was gone as well as an enormous part of him. More tears streamed from his eyes as he screamed her name in agony. He held her tighter as he continued to cry for the woman he loved—the woman whom he would give his own life for so that she could live and be safe.

Suddenly, the house crumbled all around him as though someone had sent a wrecking ball through it. Ichigo covered Rukia's body with his own despite her state and then stood up among the wreckage.

He faced Necrios, the leader of the Condemned 5, and immediately pulled his zampakutou off his back. The linen wrappings unravelled themselves to reveal Zangetsu's gleaming blade. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded, voice shaking from his crying earlier.

"The name's Necrios," Necrios answered, "and you, Kurosaki Ichigo, are my target."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? And how did you know my name?"

Necrios chuckled. "A long time ago—15 years to be exact—I killed a certain powerful individual by absorbing his life force. I had acquired everything from him—his powers and abilities, his traits, even his memories. There was one person on his mind that had seemed to be his greatest adversary, and that man was you. There were others, but you stood out to be the most powerful of them all. My allies and I have come to this dimension to seek the power that you possess, and of course," he chuckled as he averted his eyes to Rukia's corpse, "kill anyone else in sight."

Ichigo tightened his hold on Zangetsu. "Did you kill her?" He hissed.

"No, I didn't," Necrios answered. "But I came here to make sure you unite with her, and in turn, gain your life force. So what do you say?"

"NOT IF I DON'T KILL YOU FIRST!" Ichigo screamed as he pointed Zangetsu in front of him, grasping the hilt with both hands. "BANKAI!"

An explosive amount of reiatsu rushed past Necrios as he continued to grin in excitement.

Without any hesitation, Ichigo jumped out of the cloud of smoke and charged towards Necrios, slashing his blade against the demon repeatedly. Necrios dodged each attack, looking forward to witnessing what this man can do with his own eyes.

* * *

Rushing around Sereitei, Kenpachi was searching for his opponent. The explosions, fires, and falling buildings were really getting under his skin, not because he cared about Sereitei's intact appearance, but because he knew there was a very powerful force responsible for it and he wanted to fight this entity. It was only a matter of time before he caught up to such an opponent.

He noticed a large, muscular man in front of him with long blonde hair, wielding an enormous mace. Excitement rose within Kenpachi as he dashed towards the stranger.

Neron turned around to face the approaching captain. "Heh, small fry," he grunted.

As soon as Kenpachi jumped to make his attack, Neron swung his mace, but Kenpachi was barely able to dodge. He countered with a slash of his katana, and Neron did not flinch as the serrated blade struck his skin. To Kenpachi's surprise, his attack did not leave a mark.

Neron grinned. "Now you know that that tiny blade of yours can't pierce my skin. Face it, little man, you can't beat me."

Kenpachi's mouth twitched into a wide, toothy grin. He ripped off his eye patch, unleashing a yellow burst of reiatsu. "THE FUN IS JUST BEGINNING!" He screamed. He ran towards his opponent with his katana outstretched.

Neron swung his mace downwards, but Kenpachi dodged with shunpo and slashed his sword against Neron's chest. This proved to have very little effect. Neron swung his mace around, and Kenpachi blocked it. However, the impact from the mace chipped the nameless zampakutou.

Ignoring this, Kenpachi put both hands on his hilt and tried to slash against Neron's defences. Neron swung his mace downward once again, and Kenpachi blocked the attack. The mace shattered the zampakutou to Kenpachi's shock, and the captain barely dodged the strike before it followed through on its attack.

Kenpachi panted as he continued to stare at his adversary. He could not believe that his opponent was a lot stronger than he was. Normally, he would be glad that he was fighting such an opponent, but for the first time in his life, his opponent's weapon was making him slightly nervous. _What is this guy?_

"You scared yet?" Neron taunted. Kenpachi merely glared at him. "I don`t blame you for being scared. After all, my mace had broken through your katana. Unless you have any other motives to try to defeat me, I`ll kill you right here and now! Which is it, shinigami?"

Kenpachi gritted his teeth in frustration. He hated to admit it, but it was times like this that he wished that he had kidou or some way to put his sword together with his reiatsu. But he had nothing. It was over, and he knew it. However, he was not the type to run from a fight either. His code was to fight to the death and this battle would end when one of them was still standing.

He grasped the broken hilt of his zampakutou and an aura of reiatsu surrounded him. No matter what would happen, he was going to give it his all. With a shrill battle cry, he ran towards his opponent.

Time slowed as Kenpachi continued to run towards Neron, who lifted his mace in preparation. One giant swing—it took one giant swing of the weapon to slash through Kenpachi`s body. The captain closed his eyes and smiled as the mace tore through him, releasing a vast amount of blood. Zaraki Kenpachi, a warrior who had seemed to be invincible, a once nameless man from the Rukongai district 80, was no more.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time:**_

_Grimmjow grunted as he slowly stood up from the rubble. Lilicia grounded herself in front of him. Grimmjow looked up at her, but was violently kicked to the side. _

_Lilicia stepped towards him with a malicious grin on her face. "You've tried so hard to fight, but it looks like you've lost," she said with a chuckle._

* * *

So what do you think of the first part? I have an announcement regarding Hitsugaya Toshirou though: I'm planning on doing a spin-off story regarding him and Karin after this story is done, so you will see everything in his point of view from the chats up to this point in the trilogy. That's all the details that I have so far though, as I am going to try to focus on this story. Anyway, let me know what you think! Take care!


	2. Invasion, Part 2

****Here's part 2 of The Condemned 5's invasion of Soul Society, so more deaths to come! Hope you enjoy anyway and please review! Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Invasion, Part 2**

Under Lilicia's command, Satanus, her "pet" snake, slithered across her shoulders sunk back into her flesh as the large, realistic tattoo it had always been. Then the succubus sighed as she turned away from the dead bodies of shinigami, including Hinamori. She had not had much luck in finding worthy, handsome men since Jade; it had all been women and as she quoted "ugly old men" so far. She was starting to get bored, and she cursed and blamed her team mates for killing her favourite prey before she ever got the chance to.

She was about to move on when a Gran Rey Cero caught her off guard, and she somersaulted out of the way, landing cat-like on all fours.

"Looks like I've found one of them," Grimmjow said with a triumphant smirk.

"What do you want me to do?" Neliel asked her lover.

"Stay back for now," Grimmjow answered as she dashed through the clearing smoke with his zampakutou drawn.

Lilicia was mesmerized for a moment when she saw this handsome man come toward her. Licking her lips, she dodged Grimmjow's attack, jumping backwards with every slash of his sword.

"Why must you dodge, bitch?" Grimmjow taunted as he continued to slash repeatedly at his opponent. "Is it because you don't have the advantage right now? Is it because you're biding your time?" He took another gigantic sweep of his sword, making Lilicia jump up in the air. "Or is it because you're a coward? Come on! Fight me!" Using sonido, he jumped up to where Lilicia was.

Lilicia's body glowed and she transformed into her demon form. "The one with the disadvantage is you!" She exclaimed in a synthesized, echoing voice. A spear formed in her hands, decorated with the carved body of a snake near the blade tip. She pointed the tip of the spear toward Grimmjow as she got into a fighting stance. "I like to play with my prey before I devour them," she purred. Then, with a tremendous burst of speed, she flew towards Grimmjow.

Grimmjow pointed his finger towards her. "Gran Rey Cero!" The turquoise blast of reiatsu shot out of his fingertip, but Lilicia dodged with ease and attacked with a slash of her spear.

"Damn, she's fast," Grimmjow muttered incredulously. He ducked Lilicia once again when she swooped over him. He curled his fingertips over the blade of his zampakutou.

"Whatever you have planned is useless!" Lilicia screeched. She opened her mouth and green "flames" burst from her mouth.

Grimmjow widened his eyes and instantly dodged using sonido. The flames completely burned a deep hole where Grimmjow stood, and wisps of smoke rose from the corroded area.

Observing the damaged patch in the ground, Grimmjow sighed in relief and knew that he must transform into his resurreccion immediately. He ran his fingertips along his blade, shouting, "Grind, Pantera!" His reiatsu increased with an explosive force as his body transformed into a form reminiscent of a panther's. His long, turquoise hair whipped behind him in the wind caused by his reiatsu.

Lilicia smirked wider when she felt Grimmjow's reiatsu increase. Her interest in her opponent piqued and she felt that the battle was becoming more and more enjoyable by the moment.

Grimmjow gave a shrill roar, sending more waves of reiatsu towards his opponent, who folded her wings over herself to block the waves. Grimmjow jumped up and punched Lilicia, who unfolded her wings and blocked with her spear. He followed with a kick, but Lilicia blocked it again. He shot several explosive darts at her, but Lilicia parried them by spinning her spear.

Neliel watched from the sidelines as her mate's attacks were failing to affect Lilicia. She could not believe how skilled this woman was. Just what is she? Grimmjow had been training non-stop to overthrow Aizen for 30 years and his attacks were not affecting his opponent one bit. _Should I step in?_ She asked herself, her body trembling with desperate anticipation.

Grimmjow growled in frustration, and Lilicia smirked in response. "Got anything else you'd like to throw at me?" She asked confidently.

Grimmjow matched her smirk and bared his claws. "Oh yes! My greatest attack! Desgarron!" Blue ribbons of reiatsu formed from his claws and he slashed them outward like multiple whips. Lilicia dodged them and slashed her spear at them every time they were executed towards her. Grimmjow spun around, waving his arms while he slashed the ribbons continuously at his opponent.

"Your greatest attack, huh?" Lilicia said as she dodged another ribbon. "It feels intense, but," she twirled her spear around a couple of them and they dissipated immediately to Grimmjow's shock, "they're not enough to bring me down!"

She pierced her spear through another ribbon and flew towards Grimmjow, slicing the ribbon length-wise. Grimmjow tried to use his other hand to slash more ribbons at her, but she cancelled them out with eye lasers. Once she completely sliced through the ribbon, she slashed through Grimmjow's chest and kicked him to the ground.

Grimmjow grunted as he slowly stood up from the rubble. Lilicia grounded herself in front of him. Grimmjow looked up at her, but was violently kicked to the side.

Lilicia stepped towards him with a malicious grin on her face. "You've tried so hard to fight, but it looks like you've lost," she said with a chuckle.

Grimmjow shot a cero at his opponent but she parried it away with one of her wings. Shock showed in his eyes as he gasped. "Im...possible!" he whispered.

Neliel had also gasped as well, and she knew that something had to be done. She spread her arms and her lance appeared, along with her chamois body and horns. "Hey you!" She shouted at Lilicia.

Before Lilicia was about to do any more damage to Grimmjow, she turned around to face Neliel. Grimmjow faced her as well and shook his head.

However, Neliel refused to acknowledge her lover's gesture. Poising her lance, she charged towards Lilicia. "Leave him alone, you bitch!" She screamed as she gained speed.

Lilicia smirked as she turned her spear around so that the sharp head pointed toward the ground. Neliel pulled her lance back, and as soon as she was close enough, Lilicia brought her spear down against Neliel's lance, shattering the weapon upon contact.

Grimmjow looked on in shock. There was no _way_ that this woman was that strong when he fought her. Was she purposely holding back during their fight? She was already a formidable opponent then, and if she was holding back, then defeating her would be impossible. This would mean that Neliel was in danger.

Lilicia cackled in shrill, maniacal laughter. "Did you really think that I was using my full power when I fought you, kitty cat?" Grimmjow snarled at the name. "You and your little girlfriend are finished. I'll just rip her apart, and then I'll come after you next to finish what I had started."

Neliel widened her eyes in fear.

"NELIEL! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Grimmjow shouted. He fired more explosive darts at Lilicia to try to keep her focus off of Neliel, but Lilicia swatted the darts away without any effort.

With a powerful swipe of one of her claws, Lilicia slashed across Neliel's chest. Neliel screamed in pain as Lilicia continuously slashed through her body brutally. Blood splashed everywhere and Lilicia laughed at Neliel's screams. Then she switched to her spear and repeated her actions.

Grimmjow could not bear to watch as his girlfriend was being cruelly tortured in front of him and he wanted to protect her like how he had promised. He forced himself to get up despite his injuries and charged towards Lilicia, claws drawn.

Lilicia stopped her torturous actions just in time to see Grimmjow about to attack her. Her smirk never left her face as she drove her spear straight through Neliel's chest. The former third espada choked up blood as her resurreccion left her, and she collapsed to the ground.

"NELIEL!" Grimmjow screamed. He tried to slash at Lilicia, who caught his arm before it could reach her.

"She's finished," Lilicia said. Her eyes glowed a yellow colour and Grimmjow froze in his place. She transformed back into her normal form and placed a hand on Grimmjow's face. "And so are you." Her lips brushed against Grimmjow's.

Grimmjow tried to resist but because he was paralyzed, he could not. He averted his eyes to Neliel's bloody and broken corpse. He could feel an unconscious tear slip from his eyes as he saw the woman he loved fade away. There was one word—one name—that was the last on his mind before his own demise had come to him, before he too faded away into dust.

"Neliel..."

* * *

Aiko Kurosaki ran through the heavily damaged streets of Sereitei in a panic, trying not to be seen by the enemy. She had just seen Renji and then Byakuya being slaughtered in front of her by a giant mace, and she ran away immediately before the muscular man wielding the mace could notice her presence. Countless others lay dead all around her, and she saw more of them as she turned every corner.

She cursed herself for being so weak and scared all the time. All she wanted to do was help people, hence why she joined the Shinigami Academy. However, her skills were not quite as good as her older brother, Ryuichi. She could do kidou just as well, but her swordsmanship skills were lacking. Sometimes she felt that she did not deserve to be a Kurosaki.

Now that Sereitei was being attacked by five extremely powerful individuals, how can she help others now? She had not graduated from the Academy yet, and she was not skilled enough to try and fight for survival. All what she could do was run.

Her eyes widened when she noticed her brother fighting one of the invaders and hid behind a ruined building. She felt Ryuichi's anger through his aggressive attacks and counters and shuddered. She had never seen him so enraged before, and she could guess why as she could no longer feel Ruby's or her mother's reiatsus (she burst out crying when she felt her mother's reiatsu disappear). All what she could do was pray that her brother would win, and more than _anything _else, survive.

Ryuichi swung his fiery scythe and when Ashanan dodged the attack, he slashed his main weapon. Despite the ineffectiveness of the attacks, he kept trying to harm the demon, who was taunting his every move.

When Ryuichi swung his scythe once again, Ashanan turned transparent, allowing the weapon to pass through him as if he were a hologram. Then he vanished completely.

The scythe boomeranged back to Ryuichi's hand and he caught it instantly. Then he focused his senses as he tried to search for his opponent. However, Ashanan was nowhere to be seen. This angered the younger Kurosaki. "COME OUT, YOU FUCKING COWARD!" He screamed. "I'M NOT IN THE FUCKING MOOD FOR YOUR MIND GAMES!"

Darting as a shadow between ruined buildings and walls, Ashanan chuckled darkly. He loved frustrating his opponents, especially this one.

At the same time, Aiko was also searching for the demon, and she found him hovering as a shadow above her brother, about to strike.

"Nii-chan! Look out! Above you!" She warned without thinking. A voice inside her cursed her for giving away her presence, and she knew that Ryuichi would not like it if she put herself in danger.

And she was right. Ryuichi growled, but before he could yell at her, Ashanan dove down, shifted back to normal, and drew his katana within seconds.

Ryuichi immediately blocked his opponent's attack, and the two adversaries exchanged blows. They clashed their swords together as reiatsu exploded between them. The clashing continued until they stalled their blades against each other's.

"You're holding back," Ashanan said, "I can feel it through your sword."

Ryuichi narrowed his eyes. For once his opponent was right. After all, he was just warming up.

Using his scythe, he slashed at his opponent, who jumped back several kilometres.

Ashanan smirked at the gesture. "Did I strike a nerve?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

Ryuichi matched his smirk. "Nope. I realized you were right. You see, I like to drag things—in other words, have a warm up before turning things up. I've been training hard for something like this, so I'd like to thank you for allowing me to utilize my next move." He crossed his sword and scythe over his chest as an orange aura of energy enveloped him. "BANKAI!"

The aura circled him at high speeds, getting closer every second and glowing brighter. Once it encase his body, it dispersed, leaving an orange sleeveless haori over his shoulders. His shuhakushou and hakama were replaced by a shinobi's outfit, and a golden obi was tied around his waist. A black bandana was tied around his forehead, and a golden dragon patterned on one side of each of his legs. The fire patterns that often trademarked his hollow mask were tattooed on his face. His scythe was replaced by fiery blades on his arms and legs, and his main blade was replaced by a long, burnt orange katana with curved ridges along the blade. "Shinobi no Karyuu," Ryuichi said.

Ashanan grinned at his opponent's new appearance. "Impressive look, but I doubt it will be enough to beat me."

Ryuichi's eyes narrowed as he got into a fighting stance. "Let's have a wager on it then!" With a tremendous burst of speed, he charged towards his opponent.

Ashanan held out his hand and pressurized water blasted in a spiral formation from it. Ryuichi dodged it immediately, darting from one point to another. Ashanan continued to blast water at his opponent, but Ryuichi dodged it with agile speed.

Once he got behind his opponent, Ryuichi shot fire kunai from the blades on his arms, catching Ashanan off-guard. The demon tried to blast water at them, thinking that the water will extinguish them, but the kunai continued to pass through unaffected. He disappeared before the kunai could hit him.

However, Ryuichi thought quickly. He slashed his sword as soon as Ashanan re-materialized and the demon blocked the attack with his own sword. More reiatsu exploded around them as they clashed their swords together.

"You're fast," Ashanan noted as he blocked another strike from Ryuichi.

"My Bankai combines speed, kidou, shinobi skills and hollow powers in one," Ryuichi explained, slashing his sword in all directions.

"Will it be enough, I wonder?" Ashanan said.

Ryuichi swept his leg towards his opponent in a low roundhouse style, but Ashanan blocked it. Then he split himself into two clones, which attacked the Kurosaki simultaneously.

Ryuichi jumped into the air and the clones followed him. Narrowing his eyes, Ryuichi pointed his fists in front of him and let out a powerful cero. However, the clones dodged it immediately, and while one clone shot lightning from one side, the other shot pressurized water from the other side. Ryuichi dematerialized out of the way, and both elements collided in the centre. However, they did not subside. Instead, the clones sent their combined attacked towards the Kurosaki.

Ryuichi held his hands out in front of him. "Bakudou 81 – Dankuu!" An enormous wall of reiatsu formed in front of him, but when the lightning-water combination attack made impact, the wall shattered and Ryuichi was hit hard by the attack.

Aiko's eyes widened in horror as her brother plummeted to the ground, badly burned from the impact of the attack. She wanted to do something, but she was not skilled enough. Her brother would be more vulnerable and would end of dying just because of her. But she could not stand still and watch her brother get beaten. There has to be some way to help him.

Ryuichi cursed himself as he managed to get enough strength to stop himself from falling. He did not know that kidou was useless against the enemy, but he knew that putting up a kidou shield was a stupid idea. He landed on all fours and shot his head up to face both clones of Ashanan. He tried to find a weakness, but nothing came to him.

One of Ashanan's clones dove to Ryuichi's location, shooting heat waves from one hand and lightning bolts from the other. Using bursts of speed, Ryuichi dodged each of them, prepared to counter at the right moment. As soon as the clone was close enough, Ryuichi slashed his sword against him, but the clone dodged immediately and countered with whirlwinds. Ryuichi dodged and fired more fiery kunai and ceros, but they did not have any effect.

He barely noticed the other clone as he dove in to attack Aiko. Ryuichi's breath caught in his throat and flash-stepped towards his sister, stepping in just in time to block the slash of the clone's blade with his own body. Then everything went quiet.

Aiko thought that she was going to be killed, but the blow never came. Her eyes locked onto her brother, who had shielded her from the attack. But her horrified eyes noticed one thing in particular: Ashanan's katana had stabbed straight through Ryuichi's chest, through his left lung. She wanted to scream, but when she tried, it only came out as a whimper as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ryuichi coughed up blood and averted his eyes to his sister. "Get…out…of…here, Aiko... Leave! Now!" He coughed once again and collapsed as soon as Ashanan ripped his blade from his chest. His Bankai disappeared as he took his final breath.

Aiko stepped back in fear; her legs wobbled as she tried to stay standing. "Ryu…" She tried to say, but there was a lump in her throat that was hard to swallow. There was no choice but to run, but the enemy was in front of her. No one could protect her – her brother was now part of the deceased, and her father was fighting miles away. All she wanted to do was run, but her legs refused to obey.

"Poor girl," Ashanan said with a chuckle. "What'cha gonna do now, hmm? Nobody's gonna save you. It's over. Don't worry though; you'll join him, for I know that's what you want." He chuckled again as he raised his katana above her.

Aiko gasped and shivered. It was bad enough to be paralyzed in fear, but what was worse was that she was next. At least she will join her brother, mother, and her friends who were killed.

Before Ashanan could bring his sword down upon Aiko, several kunai were thrown towards him, and Aiko was startled as she was pulled aside. Before Ashanan could figure out what was happening, the kunai exploded into clouds of thick smoke.

It took a moment for Aiko to realize what was happening, and she had noticed the person who had saved her – her best friend, Liliana Urahara. "Lil…iana," Aiko whispered incredulously.

Liliana smirked as she looked over her shoulder. "Yo."

"Where are we going?" Aiko questioned.

"My father had invented a device that's going to get us out of this hell," Liliana explained. "It's also going to involve a mission for just the two of us."

"Just the two of us?" Aiko repeated. "But my father is…"

"It won't be long before he too is gone," Liliana cut off. Aiko's eyes widened. "It seems no one can defeat these guys," Liliana continued, "and Kurosaki-Taichou is fighting the worst of them. Who knows how long he will survive, but my father knows that he will do whatever he can to ensure your safety." She noticed the panic that was in her friend's eyes and scowled. "Smarten up, Aiko! At least you'll be saved, so quit acting like a scared little girl! You're better than this, and if you're not now, then get better!"

Aiko looked away sheepishly. Her friend had always been so tough despite her younger age, and she had envied her. At least she won't watch anyone else lose their lives.

* * *

Ichigo glared at the man he was fighting. All what this guy did was dodge his attacks, whether it was his Getsuga Tenshou or slashing of his zampakutou. Just what was his deal? Is he hiding something?

The evil grin remained on Necrios' face as he stared at the Kurosaki captain. "You've got talent, I can give you that much," he remarked, "But I want you at your full potential before I suck the life out of you." He chuckled darkly.

Ichigo growled as he whipped his hand across his face, drawing out his striped hollow mask. He had not used his mask for a really long time, mainly because of the alterations Aizen had made to his soul. Now the dense power that his hollow persona had possessed sickened him. However, he would do anything to defeat this man.

"Yes, that's it," Necrios said. "You're one step closer! Now come at me with all you've got!"

Ichigo complied by charging at his opponent using shunpo. He slashed Zangetsu repeatedly against Necrios, who continued dodging. Ichigo sped his attacks, pushing Necrios back with his aggressive slashes.

"Why the fuck are you dodging?" Ichigo demanded, frustrated by his opponent's style of fighting—or lack of it. "Fight back, damn it!"

He fired a cero, which Necrios evaded immediately. Using bursts of speed, Ichigo darted in all directions, blasting ceros and slashing Zangetsu. However, Necrios dodged them all.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!" Ichigo shouted as black reiatsu was shot from his zampakutou.

Instead of dodging, Necrios formed a barrier using thread-like tendrils that exited his back. A large grin formed on his face as he leered at his opponent. "Well it seems that you have impressed me enough, Kurosaki," he stated confidently. "Judging from Aizen's memories and from what you had shown me, it seems that this is your full potential."

From behind his mask, Ichigo widened his eyes. Aizen? This guy knows Aizen? Then he remembered something that his adversary had told him before their fight.

"_A long time ago—15 years to be exact—I killed a certain individual with a lot of strength by absorbing his life force. I acquired everything from him—his powers and abilities, his personality traits, even his memories. There was one person on his mind that seemed to be his greatest enemy, and that man was you. There were others, but you stood out to be the most powerful of them all. My allies and I have come to this dimension to seek the power that you possess, and of course...kill everyone in sight."_

Ichigo froze at the memory. So Aizen was finally dealt with after all. However, it had led to even worse situation. Soul Society was in ruin, and everyone else—most of them—were destroyed by this invading force. And he was the reason.

He could not blame himself though. Even though it was indirect, Aizen was the cause of this. If only Ichigo killed him when he had the chance, but Aizen had to flee and then brainwash him years later.

Ichigo balled his hands into tight fists as he growled at his newest foe. This guy was going to pay for what he and his group had done to Soul Society, his family, his friends, and his subordinates. Dense reiatsu swirled around him as his eyes glowed an eerie white.

"Come at me, Kurosaki," Necrios beckoned, whipping his tendrils in all directions. "Let's get this party started!"

With a loud battle cry, Ichigo charged towards his opponent, who shot tendrils from his wrists towards him. Ichigo evaded him with shunpo, but Necrios whipped them in his direction. Ichigo dodged them once again. Necrios shot more tendrils from his shoulders, and they whipped in all directions.

Ichigo jumped into the air and slashed his zampakutou downward. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" Black reiatsu blasted towards Necrios, who used some of his tendrils to shield himself and the rest to counter Ichigo's attack.

The Kurosaki tried to slash at them to prevent them from reaching him, but some of them wrapped around Zangetsu. He gasped and fired a cero to loosen the tendrils' grip. More wrapped around him; he tried to struggle to free himself, but they tightened themselves around him.

"Try to struggle all you want," Necrios laughed, "They will tighten even more! Now your power is mine!"

Ichigo panicked as the tendrils glowed around him, sucking his life out of him. He knew could not fight anymore; it would just worsen the process. His Bankai left him, along with his mask, and he could feel himself getting weaker by the second.

He averted his blurring vision to Rukia's corpse lying in the rubble that was once his house. Would he be able to join her, wherever she was now? He hoped so. His eyes slowly closed and his breathing ceased.

Aiko and Liliana arrived in the 12th Division Headquarters, where Yoruichi and Urahara were waiting for them.

In Urahara's hands, there was a strange device, somewhat resembling a wand or small scepter. On the thick, olive-green handle were small buttons and a display screen. A glowing, amber orb was on one end of the handle.

Yoruichi gave her daughter and then Aiko a hug each. "We're so proud of you, girls, and want you to be strong and survive for us, okay?"

Liliana nodded and tears slipped from Aiko's eyes. She could believe that this was happening. Her family was all gone and she was alone.

Urahara handed the device to Liliana, who grasped the handle. Then he turned to Aiko. "Grab the handle as well, Aiko," He instructed. With hesitation, Aiko did as she was told.

"This device will send you back in time," Urahara explained. "30 years to be exact. As you can see, it's been activated and will send you back in 60 seconds. Your mission is to warn everyone in that time period about this atrocious tragedy. I also want you to _remain_ in that time period as well. It's hard, but I know you can do this. Also, try to refrain from telling your families that you're of relation to them. This might make you emotional, especially you Aiko, but the last thing we need is confusion. Good luck."

Aiko stared at the display screen on the device's handle and noticed a digital clock counting down—5...4...3...2...1. The device glowed brighter and sent an aura around the girls. Then, in an instant, they disappeared to another time, another universe."

* * *

_**Next Time in Inherited Nightmares...**_

"_Welcome, class," the teacher greeted, "we have a couple new students who will be joining us today." _

_On cue, Aiko and Liliana walked in the classroom. While there was no emotion on Liliana's face, Aiko was very shy and timid. Then her eyes laid on Ichigo and Rukia sitting in their desks, staring back at her._

* * *

So that's chapter 2 finished for you guys! Next chapter is going to be set 30 years in the past and is going to be in the current Bleach universe, which will take place after the Ginjou and Tsukishima situation. Also, you will see that even though Rukia is a lieutenant, she remains in the World of the Living for a bit. Orihime will be alive as well and will be a much nicer person than she was in Incomplete Sorrows. However, since Ulquiorra has died, the pairing involving her will be with Ishida Uryuu. Other pairings? Urahara x Yoruichi and Ichigo x Rukia of course! There may be a lemon scene in the future of this story, so we'll see how things will turn out.

More news, for those of you had been waiting for the latest chapter of Bloody Rose, it will come up after a chapter that my boyfriend and I are going to do on another story, which will be next (only available on Facebook though). Then after chapter 3 of Bloody Rose, I'll set to work on chapter 3 of Condemned Time.

Let me know what you think of this chapter! Take care.


	3. Back Through Time

Hey guys! Well this is chapter 3 of Condemned Time, and I apologize for the delay as I was finishing off Bloody Rose. It had more feedback than this one, so I decided to make that a priority. I'd really like it if you gave me more feedback on this one as well.

Anyway, this chapter is set in two universes: the Canon Bleach Universe, which takes place after the Fullbringer Arc, and the Alternate/Trilogy Universe, which is the main universe where Incomplete Sorrows, Inherited Nightmares, and the first two chapters of this story take place in. I have decided to make a couple minor changes in the Canon Universe, in which Rukia decides to stay in the World of the Living to monitor Ichigo for a bit and Orihime is in a relationship with Ishida. Also, more character deaths will happen in this chapter as well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Back Through Time**

_Urahara Shouten - Canon Bleach Universe – 30 years in the past_

A photogenic flash lit up the front lot of Urahara Shouten, and Aiko and Liliana appeared. The device automatically shut off when the atmosphere was normal.

Aiko recognized the setting instantly. "Liliana-chan! Your father's store!" She whispered with excitement.

Liliana walked towards the store with an emotionless face. "Let's go, Aiko. We will need a couple gigais before we begin our mission." She looked at her friend over her shoulder and stopped walking. "Also, to avoid confusion, we need new last names. I will be called Liliana Ayame, and your name will be Aiko..." She paused for thought. "Aiko Ruen."

Aiko smiled at the name. "I like that name."

"And one more thing," Liliana continued, "Promise me you won't be such an emotional wreck when you see your 'parents'. It's bad enough that you're emotional, period. You need to be strong because that's the code for fighters like us. It's important that you follow it."

Aiko nodded. She could admit that her friend can be insensitive at times, but there is a lot of truth to her words. She wanted to grow up and be free from her childish emotions. After all, her mother was a Kuchiki after all.

Liliana continued to walk toward the shop, and Aiko ran after her.

At that moment, Jinta walked out of the shop to greet them; though it was an unfriendly greeting. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Liliana Ayame, and this is my friend, Aiko Ruen," Liliana replied, ignoring Jinta's rude greeting. "We're looking for Kisuke Urahara. Is he in?"

Jinta eyed both girls suspiciously. "Yeah, he is," he said, "Wait here." He ran back inside the shop to let Urahara know about the visitors.

It did not take long before Urahara stepped out of the shop. His fan was open in front of his face, and his green-and-white striped hat partially covered his eyes. "Welcome to my shop," he greeted, "How may I help you lovely ladies?"

"We need gigais," Liliana answered, "As you can see, we came from the Soul Society to the World of the Living on a secret mission."

Urahara folded his fan to show his face. "Then you've come to the right place." He noticed the robes Aiko was wearing. "A student of the Academy, huh?"

Aiko nodded. "Y-yes, sir."

"I see. Well, right this way." Urahara walked back inside his shop, and Aiko and Liliana followed him.

* * *

_Soul Society – Alternate/Trilogy Universe – Present_

Ashanan growled as he rushed back to his group. That girl was lucky to get away with her friend, but when he finds them again, they will not be as lucky. He increased his speed to hyper speed, travelling in blurs.

He saw the rest of his team gathered by the Twelfth Division Headquarters, and he halted as soon as he was close enough.

"Took you long enough, Ashanan," Lilicia said bluntly with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Oh shut up, bitch," Ashanan snapped. "I don't need your fucking whining. It hurts my ears."

Lilicia raised her eyebrows. "Now look who's complaining."

Ashanan snarled and was about to slash his katana at her, but Necrios stopped him. "That's enough, Ashanan. You're here now and that's all what matters. Our work is almost done. Those that dwell in this building are all what's left of the Shinigami."

Ashanan sheathed his sword and calmed down. "Good, I hope those girls that got away from me are in there."

Lilicia grinned. "Girls? I didn't think you were that soft, Ashanan."

Ashanan gave his comrade a look to kill. "I would have killed one of them if her friend hadn't surprised me with that smoke bomb."

"If that's the case," Necrios said, "they're probably here. As soon as the Shinigami are extinct, we'll return to our base of operations in Las Noches."

Neron adjusted his giant mace on his shoulders. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go already! I can't wait to smash this building to rubble!"

"Then wait no more!" A female voice sounded above them. "Covert Ops! Attack!" Yoruichi shouted as many ninja-like men attacked the Condemned Five at the same time.

Ashanan burst out laughing. "I'm so...fired up!" He took a deep breath and exhaled flames from his mouth as if he were a dragon. Then he turned his head from side to side as the Special Ops men were burned to death. They screamed as they were being vaporized.

Yoruichi gasped at the sight of her men being destroyed, and then she growled as she leapt from the building. Kraton drew back an arrow in his bow, but before he could fire it, Yoruichi de-materialized out of sight. Kraton relaxed his bow and searched for any trace of her.

"Hehe, that's a first," Neron remarked at his brother's lack of luck.

"I would appreciate it if you be quiet, brother," Kraton stated as he continued to search for the Special Ops Commander.

"Do we seriously have to wait for her to show up? Lilicia asked impatiently.

"Nah, let's go on ahead before the nerd decides to change targets," Ashanan suggested.

Neron chuckled as he moved his heavy mace off his shoulders. "Anything for you, sweetheart," he said flirtatiously

Lilicia sneered in disgust. Any more words her comrade would say, and she swore she would burn him with her acid flames.

With one giant swing of his enormous mace, Neron managed to collapse a third of the Twelfth Division Headquarters. Then he, Necrios, Lilicia, and Ashanan entered the crumbling building.

Kraton was prepared when Yoruichi fired three concealed blades from one of her boots. He dodged them and fired an arrow as a counter-attack. However, Yoruichi dodged it with her speed.

Kraton growled with disdain and swore under his breath. He had _never_ missed his targets, so he could not understand why he kept missing this one. Realizing he would never hit his target when he is on edge, he regained his composure and calmed his mind.

"THIS IS FOR THOSE WHOM YOU HAD KILLED, DEMON!" Yoruichi screamed from behind him. She started to glow with crackling, electricity-like reiatsu, and her clothes that covered her arms, neck, and back were torn away. "SHUNKO!" She burst forward with tremendous speed.

Kraton narrowed his eyes as he fired another arrow, hoping that this time would hit its target. Fortunately for him, it did.

Yoruichi froze in place when she realized the arrow was lodged in her chest, and then she collapsed.

Kraton stepped towards the woman lying lifeless on the ground. He knelt beside the body and ripped his arrow from her chest. After wiping the blood off the arrow, he placed it back in his quiver and followed the others into the ruined building.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Condemned Five were brutally slaughtering the members of the Twelfth Division, except for Necrios who was searching for the captain, Urahara. Lilicia sent Satanus to devour many of the Division members, including Akon and Rin. Ashanan conjured tidal waves, which swept away other victims, and Neron laughed as he smashed the surroundings and those within them with his mace.

When Kraton joined the fray, he killed the remaining Twelfth Division subordinates with just two arrows. Nemu, the lieutenant of the Twelfth Division was among those victims.

Urahara was prepared when Necrios was almost at his office. He was completely distraught when he felt the reiatsu of his wife and subordinates disappear, and he vowed that he would get his revenge in any way he could. He knew how powerful this group was, and he was prepared to sacrifice himself. He had a good feeling that Liliana and Aiko were going to take care of themselves as well as this mission.

As soon as Necrios entered the office, Urahara drew his zampakutou and slashed it forward. "Sing, Benehime!" He shouted.

As soon as the smoke from the wave cleared, Necrios was unscathed. "Nice try," he said with a chuckle, "but that did not come close to harming me."

"What do you want now?" Urahara demanded.

"It's simple," Necrios answered." Urahara's eyes widened when he noticed a familiar, long, black katana appear in Necrios' hands. "Getsuga Tenshou!" As he slashed the katana, black reiatsu formed at the blade only to be released as a powerful wave of energy.

Urahara was infuriated. He managed to parry the wave away, which caused it to destroy the back wall of his office. "How DARE you?!" Urahara shouted. "Ichigo was never THAT weak!"

"I know that," Necrios replied with a grin. "I was purposely holding back with that technique." He tightened his empty hand into a fist. "It feels great to feel his power coursing through my veins. Now, as for your question," he made Tensa Zangetsu disappear, "I want to ensure the extinction of the Shinigami. You may be the last one last one left, but I know there are two others. Where are they?"

"Like I'll tell you! Kirisaki!" Urahara made a shield appear in front of him, which shot thousands of energy darts.

Necrios allowed the darts to hit him, and they formed smoke from impacts. "I see that you won't give me an answer. I guess I'll have to take it from you by force." Tendrils shot from his shoulders. "This was how your friend, Ichigo, died and gave me his wonderful powers!"

The tendrils attacked themselves to Urahara, who screamed shrilly. Necrios laughed as he started to drain the life force from the blonde scientist. "Yes!" He shouted with invigoration. "Ichigo and Aizen's memories tell me you are a great scientist. We could use your great ideas for destruction and chaos! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As soon as Urahara's life force was drained, Necrios withdrew his tendrils, which disappeared within his body. His grin grew wider as Urahara's memories flashed through his mind. One memory was of great interest to him: the device that was created to send Liliana and Aiko back in time.

Necrios turned to Urahara's deceased body lying on the ground. "Thank you, Urahara. Your daughter's fate is in our hands now, as well as her friend's."

* * *

_Karakura High School – Canon Bleach Universe – 30 years in the past_

Aiko and Liliana walked up the stairs towards the front door of Karakura High School. They were both wearing the high school girl uniforms on their gigais.

Liliana opened the front door to the school. "Remember, Aiko, we mustn't reveal ourselves just yet, and again please promise me that you won't cry like a little girl when you see your parents."

Aiko nodded. "I promise, Liliana-chan. I'll try to anyway."

They walked into the principal's office to receive their class schedules.

Nearby, a teacher walked into a classroom, where her students were conversing. "Welcome, class," she greeted, "we have a couple new students who will be joining us today."

On cue, Aiko and Liliana walked in the classroom. While there was no emotion on Liliana's face, Aiko was very shy and timid. Then her eyes laid on Ichigo and Rukia sitting in their desks, staring back at them.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves?" The teacher asked.

Aiko smiled a fake smile and curtsied, holding onto both sides of her skirt while she did so. "Hi! My name is Aiko Ruen! Nice to meet you!" She said in false, actress's voice. Ichigo raised an eyebrow and looked over at Rukia, who shook her head back at him.

Liliana smirked. "And I'm Liliana Ayame," she introduced herself.

"Alright," the teacher, "Nice to meet both of you as well. You may sit down wherever you like."

Aiko sat down at the empty desk beside Ichigo, trying so hard to remember her promise to Liliana. She wished that she could tell him who she was; she wished that she could wrap her arms around him tightly and tell him how much she missed him-how much she missed her father. But it was not simple. He would probably not tolerate her like she wanted him to. She gave out a forlorn sigh. Why do things have to be so difficult for her?

Lunch eventually came after two long hours, and Aiko stood up from her desk.

At that moment, Orihime walked over to her and bowed politely. "Hi! You must be Aiko. My name is Inoue Orihime! Welcome to our school!"

Aiko smiled shyly and curtsied in response. "Nice to meet you."

"If you have any questions at all, feel free to ask," Orihime said.

"Hey Orihime!" Ishida called, and Orihime sighed happily when he wrapped an arm around her waist. "You ready?" He asked with a kiss on her cheek.

"Yeah Uryuu," Orihime replied. "I'm just introducing myself to Aiko-san here."

Ishida looked up at Aiko. "Hey sup?"

"Hi," Aiko replied.

"Anyway, I'm going to go with Uryuu, okay? See you around!" Orihime waved as she walked away with her boyfriend.

Aiko watched them leave curiously. She had heard that Orihime was a friend of her parents' until she decided to switch sides. Maybe Orihime switches sides later? Who knows?

She walked toward Liliana, who was talking with Chad, Rukia, Ichigo, Keigo, and Mizuiro. They noticed her right away.

"Hey there!" Rukia greeted with a smile.

Aik was curious as to why Rukia's hair was short, but that was only a minor detail. She was still her mother after all. "Hi!" She greeted in reply.

"Want to each lunch with us?" Rukia invited.

"Sure!" Aiko answered.

Ichigo eyed her with suspicion. "I've noticed you've been glancing at me frequently during our classes. Are you fixated with me or something?"

Aiko blushed and rubbed the back of her neck with an embarrassed laugh. "Oh no! It's just you kind of remind me of someone back home, that's all! Hehehehehehe!"

Liliana face-palmed at her friend's behaviour. Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Anyway, How about that lunch?" Keigo asked. He held out a hand to Aiko. "Asano Keigo," he introduced himself, "How's it going?"

Aiko shook his hand with hesitation. "I'm good thanks, and it's nice to meet you."

"And I'm Chad," Chad introduced himself.

"Mizuiro," Mizuiro said."

"And I'm Rukia and that's Ichigo," Rukia said.

"Nice to meet you all," Aiko said.

"Now that everyone knows us, let's go eat lunch," Liliana suggested.

They walked up to the rooftop where they enjoyed their lunches and company. Aiko and Rukia were conversing about bunnies and paraphernalia regarding bunnies. Ichigo groaned with annoyance as he was listening to the girls' conversation.

All of a sudden, Liliana and Aiko's pagers, as well as Ichigo's substitute shinigami badge, went off on alert. Before Ichigo could stand up, Aiko was already gone.

"What the hell?" He asked, shocked.

"Don't tell me she's going to fight that hollow!" Rukia exclaimed with as much shock as Ichigo.

"Yep, she is," Liliana replied. Rukia, Ichigo, Chad, Keigo, and even Mizuiro gave her puzzled looks. "She's a shinigami in training," Liliana continued. "She may not seem strong, but she knows how to eliminate hollows."

Ichigo and Rukia looked at each other and nodded. "We'll be right back," the former said.

"Yeah, we've got to witness this for ourselves," Rukia added.

Liliana smiled. "Go on ahead."

Ichigo and Rukia changed into their shinigami forms, and they rushed towards the location where the hollow and Aiko were.

Upon arrival, they saw Aiko in her Academy robes with her katana in front of her. A large, berserker-like hollow stomped towards her, eager to taste her spiritual flesh. Aiko narrowed her eyes and leapt toward the hollow with her katana held above her head. With one giant slash, she easily sliced the hollow in half.

The monster disintegrated as soon as Aiko's feet hit the ground; the sunlight reflected off her blade.

Ichigo and Rukia were awestruck by this girl's skills. They could not believe that she was still just a student.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time...**_

_Kraton was busy working on duplicating the time device in his lab when Neron startled him with his presence. Immediately, he grabbed his crossbow, which was already armed with a poisoned bolt, and aimed at his twin brother. "State your business," he said._

_Neron raised his hands in the air. "Whoa there, Kraton! Anyway, the boss wants to know how the project is going."_

* * *

And that's chapter 3! This chapter was a little short, but I am aware that the chapters are going to be around the same length. In any case, please let me know what you think because I really need more feedback on this! The more feedback I get, the more motivated I am to writing these chapters. So, feedback will REALLY help me and it will also benefit you as well.

Anyway, take care guys!


	4. Followed

**Chapter 4: Followed**

_Las Noches - Trilogy/Alternate Universe – Present_

In Las Noches, Necrios was seated on the same marble throne that Aizen had once sat in. The rest of the Condemned Five were standing in a half-circle in front of him. All of them had their eyes closed as stolen memories drifted through their minds like clouds. They witnessed the creation of the time device and then opened their eyes.

"As you can see," Necrios spoke, "this device was used to send Aiko Kurosaki and Liliana Urahara back in time 30 years. Kraton, using your expertise in science and technology, you are responsible for re-creating the device using the memories I had shared with you."

Kraton bowed his head affirmatively. "It shouldn't take long, I guarantee it. I'll start right away."

"Whenever you can," Necrios agreed. "The rest of you will do whatever you want while you wait. You're all dismissed."

Everyone left the throne room for their respective destinations, leaving Necrios to himself.

A couple hours later, Kraton was busy working on duplicating the time device in his lab when Neron startled him with his presence. Immediately, he grabbed his crossbow, which was already armed with a poisoned bolt, and aimed at his twin brother. "State your business," he said.

Neron raised his hands in the air. "Whoa there, Kraton! Anyway, the boss wants to know how the project is going."

"It's almost complete," Kraton replied, going back to his work.

"Alright then," Neron said as he turned to the door. He watched Kraton for a moment before stepping out of the room.

He turned the corner and smile when he arrived in front of Lilicia's room. He knocked on her door three times. "Knock, knock, knock," he said with a grin.

"Go away," Lilicia called from her room.

Neron chuckled and entered her room anyway. Satin hung from every wall, and golden statuettes decorated every corner. A light fragrance of incense filled the ambient atmosphere of the room. Lilicia lay on a gold-lined, velvet Indian couch with Satanus slithering on the floor below her.

"I thought I told you to go away, Neron," Lilicia said with an irritated tone in her voice.

"I know you're playing hard-to-get, but you know you can't resist my charms."

Lilicia snorted. "In your dreams."

"Yes, but let's make it a reality, shall we?" Neron asked. He walked toward her and picked up a small bottle of scented oil from a small, mahogany table beside her.

Lilicia was alarmed and pushed Neron back. "How many _fucking_ times to I have to _tell_ you?! You can't have _this_!" She waved her hands over her figure. "If it weren't for my older brother's orders, I would kill you for not respecting my privacy."

However, Lilicia's insults and actions did not change Neron's expression. "I can see you're still just as feisty as ever," he said.

"I'm _always_ this 'feisty'," Lilicia shot back. "Now, get out of here before I send Satanus to his next meal."

"It's not worth the trouble," Ashanan's voice sounded from outside the room. Neron and Lilicia both gave him their attention. "Women never change, Neron, so don't bother with flirting with someone like her."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious," Lilicia retorted sarcastically.

"Seriously," Ashanan remarked, "you should be cleaning up after us men."

"Go fuck yourself," Lilicia growled.

"Let's go, Neron," Ashanan said. He walked away from the room. With one more smile at Lilicia, Neron followed his comrade.

Lilicia rolled her eyes as she closed her door. "Men," she sighed.

The device was eventually completed within another hour, and the Condemned Five met in the throne room. Kraton brought it out, and one by one, they grasped the handle. Then, after a countdown from ten, they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

_Karakura High School – Canon Bleach Universe – 30 years ago_

The walk back to class was done in awkward silence, and Rukia studied Aiko with interest. She was amazed by this girl's skills, so why hasn't she graduated from the Academy yet? Also, why hasn't she—Rukia—seen that name on the roster whenever she visited the Academy? Something did not add up.

Ichigo noticed Rukia's confusion. He was also impressed by Aiko's talents, but something else about her was on his mind. Aiko and Rukia were so similar, and he had never met a girl so similar to Rukia before. It was almost as though they were related somehow, but that did not make sense. The only family that Rukia had were her deceased biological sister, Hisana, and adoptive brother, Byakuya. So they could not possibly be related to each other. Maybe it was coincidence that they were so similar?

It also seemed that Aiko had reminded Ichigo of his childhood years, like when he had lost his mother. Maybe something terrible had happened to her too?

The afternoon went by slowly, and Ichigo, Rukia, Chad, Ishida with his arms around Orihime's waist, Aiko and Liliana walked simultaneously out of the school property. "So where do you guys live?" Orihime asked Liliana and Aiko.

"We live with Urahara-san," Liliana answered.

"Oh, maybe we can visit each other sometime?" Orihime offered. "I can give you some of my cooking!"

Aiko was about to open her mouth to say something, but Liliana beat her to it. "We'll think about it."

"Well, I guess we'll see you around," Ichigo said.

Liliana nodded with a smile. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye!" Aiko waved. Then she and Liliana walked toward Urahara Shouten.

Rukia stared after them as they left. "Curious," she trailed off."

"What is, Kuchiki-san?" Orihime inquired.

"It's regarding that Aiko girl," Rukia replied. "Why haven't I seen her before when I visited the Academy? Something seems off, but I don't know what."

"Maybe you can find out later," Ichigo suggested. "In any case, let's go home, midget." He started to walk in the direction of his house.

Rukia gritted her teeth as she as she shook her fist. "Be careful whom you're speaking to, strawberry-head!" She snarled through her teeth.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder. "Lieutenant or not, Rukia, you're always be a midget to me," he remarked. "Now come on before my old decides to go through his crazy antics again."

"Hmph!" Rukia huffed as she marched toward Ichigo.

"Bye Kuchiki-san! See you tomorrow!" Orihime waved cheerfully, and Rukia waved back over her shoulder.

* * *

Aiko sighed as she and Liliana walked to their rooms to settle back in. "That was difficult," she trailed off.

Liliana rolled her eyes. "Well you have to hold out for a bit longer. We can't tell them who we are just yet."

"I know, Liliana-chan," Aiko said, "but I'm still worried about the time when we _do_ tell them who we really are. What if my parents hate me?"

Liliana fought off a chuckle. "That's why we have to use different last names and not tell them yet. However, we'll still have to tell them eventually, and when we do, we'll see what will happen, okay?"

Reassured, Aiko smiled. "Okay, Liliana-chan, and thanks."

"No problem, Aiko," Liliana replied and then she furrowed her eyebrows with a frown, "and by the way, please not to be so formal with honorifics. We've been friends for years, so try to drop the honorifics."

"Alright," Aiko said, "see you soon." They walked into their respective rooms and shut the door.

They had completed their homework and enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared for them by Tessai. During their dinner, they briefly answered any questions that were asked to them about who they were and what they mission involved.

A couple hours afterward, the girls decided to get ready for bed. "Good night, Liliana," Aiko said.

"Night, Aiko," Liliana replied, and she walked into her room and shut the door.

Aiko was about to walk into her room as well, but she noticed someone watching her through the front window of Urahara Shouten. Curious, she stepped toward the window to get a better look at the stranger.

To her great surprise, she noticed that this familiar man was a shinigami with a katana resting in a sheath at his waist. He had orange hair with black highlights and a grin on his face. _It couldn't be!_

Aiko was sure that Ryuichi was killed in front of her, so how could it possibly be him? It wasn't possible! But he was here in front of her, and her excitement got the better of her.

She ran outside and flung her arms around her older brother's neck. "Oh Ryuichi! I've missed you!" She exclaimed.

Ryuichi placed a hand on his sister's back "Hey little sis," he whispered. "I've missed you too."

Aiko stopped hugging her brother and frowned. "I thought you were killed..."

Ryuichi shook his head. "Nah, I'm sorry to have scared you back there. After I was healed, I came here to look for you."

"Well, you've found me," Aiko said with a smile. Then she frowned once more. "What about the others? Dad? Mom? Uncle Renji?"

Ryuichi matched his sister's frown as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry, Aiko," he trailed off, "but you, Liliana, and I are all who's left from our time." Tears dripped from Aiko's eyes, and she buried her face in her brother's neck.

Elsewhere, in her room, Liliana had a sudden and unpleasant feeling come to her senses. Something was wrong, and her intuition kept telling her that Aiko was in trouble.

She took out a dispenser and squeezed the top, inserting a gikon pill into her mouth. This forced her Special Ops soul from her gigai, replacing it with a new soul.

"Rest that body well," Liliana ordered as she wrapped a piece of fabric from her top over her mouth. "I'll be back."

"Yes, Liliana-sama," the replacement soul affirmed with a single nod and monotone voice.

Without another word, Liliana exited the room.

Back outside, Ryuichi and Aiko stopped hugging each other. "I've got an idea," Ryuichi spoke, "I know someone who knows their weakness." Aiko looked up in alarm. "If we have the weakness of the Condemned 5 in mind," Ryuichi continued, "then we'll avenge everyone's deaths. They won't get away with their mass genocide."

There was a glimmer of hope in Aiko's eyes. "A-Are you sure?"

Ryuichi grinned once again. "Yep!"

"Where?!"

"Come with me." Ryuichi held out his hand, and Aiko held onto it with slight hesitation.

He led her down the street to a small park with several trees. As soon as they got there, Aiko looked around. "So who is this person?" She did not hear a response. "Ryuichi?" Still no response.

She slowly turned around, and what she saw made her blood run cold. Ryuichi was not behind her; instead, Ashanan was standing in his place, flashing a malicious and toothy grin.

Aiko tried to scream, but no sound came out. She turned to run, but she tripped and fell onto the grass. She cursed her clumsiness, and then she turned around to face Ashanan, who was drawing his katana from the sheath at his back. A look of intense horror shone in her eyes as she realized the stupid mistake she had just made.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time...**_

_Rukia's cell phone vibrated twice, telling her that a text message from Soul Society had just come through. She flipped open the phone and entered her inbox to read the message sent by Renji:_

"_After looking up Aiko Ruen and Liliana Ayame in any of the databases, I found no such names. I don't know who these girls are, but something tells me that they're not who they say they are. I'll come by to question these girls myself."_

_Rukia furrowed her eyebrows at the message. So these girls were not who they said they were. If that was the case, then who are they and why are they here?_

* * *

And another chapter done! I'm sorry once again that it's so short...but I will try to do longer chapters in the future. After all, I had a hard time writing this chapter, and it was such a miracle that I managed to type it up when my computer is having troubles. Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll try to update as soon as I can.

Take care!


	5. Moment of Desperation

**Chapter 5: Moment of Desperation**

Aiko panted as she looked up at the one that tricked her. She could not believe that she had fallen for such an obvious illusion. She should have known better than that, but she missed her brother so much—that was her excuse. Now it will not matter. At least she will see her family and friends again.

Ashanan laughed out loud as he held his katana over his head. "You should see the look on your face right now! After all, I just LOVE looking at people with faces full of horror before I kill them. It gives me a euphoric feeling!"

Then, to Aiko's confusion, he sheathed his sword. "To be honest, I want this moment to last." He curled his fingers and held his clawed hand toward Aiko. "So take this!"

Bolts of lightning struck Aiko, and she screamed shrilly. Ashanan continued to laugh in enjoyment as he shocked the last Kurosaki repeatedly. Tears streamed down Aiko's cheeks as she tried to struggle through her torture. She wished that this sick demon would just kill her already. It was too much for her to take.

"Yes! That's it! Scream, you little bitch! It amuses me!" Ashanan exclaimed as he changed his lightning bolts to lightning whips. Then he gave her rapid lashes.

"PLEASE! STOP! SOMEONE HELP!" Aiko screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would come and help her.

Suddenly, Liliana flash-stepped in the path of the whips, and they wrapped around her sword. Using an aura of reiatsu, she shielded herself from any incoming shocks from the whips. "You bastard!" She hissed under breath. She slashed her sword to the side, dispersing the whips.

"Lil…ian…a-chan…" Aiko barely managed to speak despite her injuries. The last few tears dripped from her eyes, and she blacked out.

The smirk never left Ashanan's lips. "Well it looks like we _did_ arrive in the right timeline after all," he said.

Liliana growled. "You'll _pay_ for what you did to Aiko!" she charged toward Ashanan and slashed her sword at him, but he turned into a cloud of mist before she could connect. She skidded to a halt and looked around for him.

Ashanan reappeared behind her, and when he whipped his arm to the side, fireballs were fired toward her. Aiko dodged them and fired five senbon at her opponent. They passed through him, and he charged toward her with his own katana drawn. Liliana raised her katana and blocked his attack, letting loose a bunch of reiatsu from the collision.

* * *

Rukia sighed as she turned a page of the manga she was reading. Sometimes her patience was not her strong point.

She had sent a text message to Renji to do research on the girls from any database he could access in Soul Society. She had to make sure that these girls were whom they said they were. She sighed once again.

Ichigo, who was studying at his desk, twitched in annoyance. "Will you shut up with that sighing?" He snapped.

Rukia raised an eyebrow as she looked up from her manga. "Oh sorry," she said sarcastically in a fake voice, "Am I disturbing you?"

Ichigo gritted his teeth. Of all the times he was busy with his homework, she just _had_ to be annoying. "Yes, you are," he growled, "and what are you doing on my bed anyway?"

"Aww, Ichy's scary," Rukia cooed, still in her fake voice. Then she turned serious. "I'm waiting for a response from Renji," she answered in her normal voice, "I asked him via text message to research on those girls."

"Well, usually it takes a while, doesn't it?" Ichigo said, "Be patient and quit bugging me."

"Alright fine," Rukia sighed as she rolled her eyes.

Suddenly, Rukia's cell phone vibrated twice, telling her that a text message from Soul Society had just come through. She flipped open the phone and entered her inbox to read the message sent by Renji:

"After looking up Aiko Ruen and Liliana Ayame in any of the databases, I found no such names. I don't know who these girls are, but something tells me that they're not who they say they are. I'll come by to question these girls myself."

Rukia furrowed her eyebrows at the message. So these girls were not who they said they were. If that was the case, then who are they and why are they here?

"What did Renji have to say?" Ichigo wanted to know.

"Apparently, Aiko and Liliana aren't who they say they are," Rukia answered.

Ichigo looked up from his homework in alarm. "What? Then who are they?"

"I don't know," Rukia replied with another sigh, "Renji is going to come down to interview these girls and get the answers from them."

Another sensation came to Ichigo. "Speaking of which, they're in trouble."

Rukia's eyes widened. Whoever these girls were, they desperately needed assistance, and she just could not abandon them out of spite. She watched as Ichigo removed himself from his body using his badge. "Can I borrow that?" She asked.

Without a word, Ichigo threw his badge to his friend, who caught it instantly. While she was getting out of her gigai, Ichigo opened his bedroom window. Then they immediately flew out into the night.

* * *

Liliana and Ashanan clashed over and over. Even though she seemed to hold her own against her opponent, Liliana felt overwhelmed. She knew that Ashanan was at least a hundred times stronger than she was, but she made a promise to her parents that she would do whatever she could to survive, as well as protect Aiko.

She threw a punch at Ashanan's jaw, but when she connected, it did not do any damage. Her eyes widened with shock as Ashanan's grin grew wider. Liliana jumped back and clenched her teeth. It was one of those times in which she wished that someone could step in and help her defeat this demon.

"The daughter of Yoruichi and Kisuke Urahara," Ashanan said with a chuckle, "you disappoint me!"

He punched the ground, causing it to rumble and quake. Liliana tried to keep her balance. When a fault was created, she jumped to the side to dodge it. Then Ashanan caused a wall of fire to erupt from where his opponent was standing. Using reactivity, she barely managed to dodge the fire and sent kunai toward her adversary. Ashanan dodged them by sinking into the ground.

Liliana searched frantically for the demon, preparing herself for any surprise attack. Suddenly, the ground below her rumbled once again. She somersaulted out of the way of a rising, tower-like rock with a jagged point on the top. The rock exploded, sending dart-like fragments flying toward her. There were too many fragments, and she was not sure if she would dodge so many in time.

All of a sudden, a golden, triangular shield appeared in front of her. At the same time, a crescent-like wave of light energy blew away the fragments. Liliana stared in front of her and noticed Orihime operating the shield. Rukia, Ishida, Chad, and Ichigo appeared beside her, ready to defend her at all cost.

Ashanan rematerialized in front of them. "Well, well, well," he said incredulously as he examined the newcomers with interest, "So the Living World crew has arrived. How predictable."

"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo spat. "And how do you know about us?"

Ashanan chuckled. "My friends and I came from the future. We had already destroyed everyone in that timeline. Since I know that she and she," he gestured toward Aiko, "are here, I think it's time I take my leave. Until next time!" In a burst of flame, he vanished from the area.

Orihime allowed her shield to disappear and turned to Liliana. "Are you hurt, Liliana-san?"

Liliana stood up, brushed herself off, and sheathed her katana. "I'm fine," she answered as she uncovered her mouth. Then she softened her eyes at Aiko. "However, please help Aiko. She's hurt really bad."

Orihime smiled reassuringly and nodded. She walked toward Aiko, and she reached out her hands to form a dome-like shield over her.

Chad scratched his head as he stared at the spot where Ashanan disappeared. "I wonder what that guy was talking about."

"Yeah," Ishida agreed. Then he turned to Liliana. "And he seemed to know you for some reason," he said, "Are you and Aiko from the future too?"

Liliana sighed as she clenched her teeth and looked down. Of all the times to explain herself, this had to be the most perfect time—not like she had any choice anyway. "It's best that we go to Urahara Shouten," she trailed off, "Aiko and I will explain everything."

At that moment, Aiko stirred under Orihime's healing shield, and Orihime made the shield disappear when the Kurosaki girl was fully healed. "Hi Aiko-san," she said, "Are you alright?"

Aiko sat up with a groan and stared at Orihime. "Hi," she replied, "Yeah thanks."

Orihime frowned in concern. "You seem sad," she noted.

Aiko stood up. "It's nothing, I promise you."

Not only was Orihime worried about her, but Ichigo and Rukia seemed to show concern as well.

Liliana walked toward her friend and helped her up. "Are you alright, Aiko?" she asked.

Aiko looked away in shame. "I'm sorry, Liliana. I was so stupid to fall for such a trick…"

Liliana rolled her eyes and cut off her friend before she could apologize any more. "Stop, Aiko. It's alright. You're fine now."

Aiko sighed; she knew her friend was right.

Liliana smiled. "Anyway, let's go to Urahara Shouten and tell them who we are."

Aiko nodded wordlessly, and then they all left the area.

When they arrived at Urahara Shouten, Renji was waiting for them. Aiko's face lit up to see her godfather standing before her. "Un…" She stopped herself, remembering the promise she made to Liliana when they first arrived.

"Hi Renji," Rukia said.

"Hey Rukia," Renji replied with a serious frown on his face. He averted his eyes to the new girls. "I need to speak to you two."

"That's okay, Renji," Rukia assured her friend. "They're going to explain everything to all of us."

They sat down in the sitting area, and Tessai brought each of them some tea. Then he sat down with Urahara to listen to the girls' explanation.

"That demon knows us because we, like him, are from 30 years into the future," Liliana started to explain. "My last name isn't Ayaname, but…" She looked at Urahara. "It's Urahara."

Everyone gasped in shock, including Urahara. "I knew it!" He exclaimed, "You remind me of Yoruichi, and I could resemblances of both of us in you! Are you our…"

Liliana smiled. "Yes, I am."

A look of excitement showed in Orihime's face as she watched Urahara wrap his arms around Liliana. "Aww! How cute!" She exclaimed with glee. "Urahara-san is a father! I definitely see the resemblance!"

Ichigo smiled and then he turned to Aiko. "What about you, Aiko?"

Aiko tightened her fingers on her skirt, trying to fight off the tears that had resurfaced. However, despite her struggle, the tears had already stained her face.

Liliana stopped hugging her father and turned to her friend. "Aiko, it's time to tell them."

"M-my brother was killed b-by that very same demon who tricked me," Aiko whispered. "I-I was stupid!"

Rukia, who was sitting next to her, rubbed her shoulder in comfort.

"What was his name?" Ichigo asked.

"Ryu…Ryuichi," Aiko answered, sniffling, "Kurosaki Ryuichi." Ichigo widened his eyes at the last name. "H-he looked so much like you and acted like you too," Aiko continued, smiling sadly at Ichigo. "He would have had a family of his own too. R-Ruby-san, his wife, was expecting a son. They were going to be so happy! And then…and then…th-they killed her and the child first! Then they killed her brother and then Mom!" She covered her face and sobbed louder.

"Who was your mother?" Renji questioned.

The name that Aiko said in response shocked everyone, except Liliana: "Rukia. My daddy, of course, was Ichigo."

Renji stared at Ichigo and Rukia, who were staring at one another aghast. "It can't be!" Ichigo whispered.

"How is it possible?" Rukia questioned.

"You can't be serious," Renji said to Aiko.

Aiko smiled sadly. "I am," she replied.

"Well, that explains the resemblance between you and Rukia," Ichigo said, "and also, I see a bit of myself in you as well."

"So are you saying that we are all going to be killed by this demon in 30 years?" Rukia asked.

Liliana shook her head. "There are others who are just as strong, if not stronger than the demon that we had encountered—four others to be exact. Aiko and I know little about these five, but we know that kidou is ineffective against them. And they are extremely powerful too. They will manage to destroy Soul Society very easily, but they like to take their time to slaughter their victims. They're ruthless, merciless, cunning, and very, very dangerous."

"Why?" Urahara questioned. "I mean, what do they want?"

"My father was unable to determine why they came," Liliana answered.

"What about those in the World of the Living?" Ishida inquired.

"I don't know," Liliana said. "Aiko and I believe that because of the destruction of Soul Society, the World of the Living disappeared immediately afterwards."

"However," Aiko continued as she stared at Orihime, "Inoue dies much earlier."

Orihime's eyes widened in shock. "W-why?! From what?!"

"My mother told me that you were driven insane by your desire for Daddy; that was what they had initially thought. However, instead, you wanted more power, so you broke your ties with your friends by fabricating a plan to betray them and switch sides. But you were stopped by Mom when she was trying to rescue my brother, who was taken by you and…my aunt Yuzu when he was a baby." She noticed the look of shock in everyone's faces, especially Ichigo's face.

"However," she smiled reassuringly, "she was only under Aizen's hypnosis at that time, and she was eventually rescued. As for Inoue," she continued to frown at Orihime, "Mom was overwhelmed by you and your new powers at first until she eventually finished you off for good."

Orihime was speechless by Aiko's story. She would _never_ betray her friends, especially for more power. She did not care about power. Also, she was long over Ichigo and currently with Ishida. After hearing her story, she finally knew why Aiko was acting so distant from her.

She eventually found her voice. "A-Aiko-san, I assure you that power means nothing to me. You probably don't trust me because of what the future me had done, but I promise you, none of that is going to happen. I hope you can forgive me."

Rukia placed a hand on Aiko's shoulder. "Orihime is on our side, Aiko. Try to trust her, and she'll try to do whatever she can to make up for the terrible things that the future her had done to your family."

Aiko sighed as she stared at Orihime. She did not seem to be as threatening as what her mother had said she was. Maybe she could give her a chance.

She gave Orihime a friendly smile. "Alright, Inoue-san, I will. I'm sorry for my rudeness."

Orihime smiled cheerfully. "Not a problem, Aiko-san," she replied.

"Well, whenever these demons strike next, we must be ready," Urahara said, "because it sounds like this is going to be one hell of a war."

"Renji and I will call reinforcements," Rukia suggested, "Nii-sama, Hitsugaya-Taichou, Ikkaku and a couple of rookies with potential."

Renji knew whom Rukia was referring to. Even though he had his doubts about these new recruits, he had a feeling that they would be more than willing to take on a challenge like this.

Urahara smiled. "The more, the merrier!"

"Where's Yoruichi?" Liliana asked.

"Your mother will be called too," Urahara answered. "She's in Soul Society right now."

Liliana nodded in understanding. "I see," she said, "thanks."

"No problem," Urahara replied.

"Aiko," Ichigo said. Aiko looked at him. "Are you alright here?" Ichigo asked.

"I guess so," Aiko replied, "why?"

"I was wondering if you would like to stay with me and Rukia for a bit," Ichigo offered.

Aiko looked at Liliana, who smiled back at her. Then she looked back at Ichigo. "I'd love to…but I don't want to impose."

"You're our daughter, Aiko," Rukia assured. "Besides, I'm sure Ichigo's family would love to meet you."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "Yes, Goat-face will never shut up about you."

Aiko giggled at the remark. "That sounds great. I'd love to stay with you."

At that moment, she did not feel scared or depressed any more. For the first time in a while, she felt like she had come home.

* * *

In an abandoned warehouse on the east side of town, Ashanan stood before the rest of the members of the Condemned Five. He had given them his report and was waiting for Necrios's response.

"You disappoint me, Ashanan," Necrios said with a frown on his face. "For the first time in over a hundred years, you did not follow orders. I asked you to do a simple task of killing Aiko, but you did not do what I had asked you to do."

"At least they're here in this timeline!" Ashanan argued. "I'll go back there and kill them! You'll see! They won't get away this time!"

"You're such a fucking fool, Ashanan," Lilicia scoffed. "Know your place!"

"Why don't you know _your_ place, you fucking bitch?!" Ashanan spat. "Women aren't supposed to fight with us men, so fuck off and make me a sandwich!"

Lilicia gave an animalistic snarl, but Necrios held up his hand to silence the two. "Enough both of you, and Ashanan, the more you say, the more trouble you will put yourself in."

"If it weren't for Kurosaki and his friends…" Ashanan grumbled.

"Dude," Neron said, "even still, you should be more than enough to overwhelm those meddling fools."

"Don't you start, Neron," Ashanan threatened.

"Either way," Necrios interjected, "we will have no other choice but to face those weaklings once again. I'm pretty sure that they will call for reinforcements. However, when we faced those shinigami in Soul Society, that was 30 years into the future. This is the past, so they're obviously a lot weaker than they used to be. So I have a plan that would vanquish them all, especially the young Kurosaki girl."

Several tendrils slithered from his wrists and swirled in a single space, creating a figure within this space. The more they moved, the clearer the figure appeared. It did not take long before Necrios's "creation" came fully into view. Kraton, Neron, Lilicia, and Ashanan raised their eyebrow at a duplicate of one of Necrios's victims: captain of the 5th Division, Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Him?!" Ashanan exclaimed in disbelief. "You plan to use _him_ to defeat those girls?!"

"According to Ichigo's memories, Aiko Kurosaki is an emotional girl who loves her family and looks up to her father," Necrios explained, "So when she is forced to fight a puppet that looks a lot like her father but with added abilities of my own, her spirit will shatter and she will be defeated very easily." Then he smiled maliciously at Ashanan. "If you truly want to join this battle and earn my forgiveness, then feel free to be my guinea pig and try to destroy this wonderful creation of mine."

Ashanan growled for a moment, and then he smirked. "Thanks for this opportunity, boss."

"Open your eyes, Kurosaki Ichigo," Necrios commanded. With a snap, Ichigo's eyes opened, revealing lifeless, scarlet irises. Necrios conjured Tensa Zangetsu and handed the weapon to Ichigo, who took it wordlessly.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time:**_

_Aiko found herself in a frozen, moonlit meadow with snow-covered trees and ice patches surrounded by snow. What could this place be? She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly, unsure of how she arrived to such a place._

_The sound of crunching snow made her turn around sharply, and she stood face to face with a woman in a beautiful white kimono. A diamond-embedded, silver diadem rested on top of her ebony hair. Her pale skin was almost as white as her kimono, and her lips were rosy and pink as the sash around her waist. This woman was the most beautiful person that Aiko had ever seen._

* * *

And that's chapter 5! I loved writing this chapter because it was one of the few chapters that I actually had thought of the most. Next chapter, as you can see from the preview, will be when Aiko learns of her true destiny, as well as the name of her zanpakutou. And will Ashanan earn Necrios's forgiveness? You'll just have to see for yourself. It should be a pretty exciting chapter. So please review and let me know what you think of this one! Take care.


	6. Princess in the Snow

**Chapter 6: The Princess in the Snow**

Ashanan stared down his opponent for a moment, thinking that this would be an easy victory. Then he held out his hand, shooting spiraling flames.

The flames immediately engulfed Ichigo, who just stood motionless in his spot. Ashanan laughed triumphantly, thinking that his opponent was destroyed.

However, Ichigo stepped out of the flames unscathed. Ashanan's laughter turned into shock, but he regained his composure. He fired rapid fireballs at his opponent, who just kept walking toward him.

"FUCKING BASTARD! DIE!" Ashanan screamed with frustration as he blasted pressurized water.

Ichigo raised his sword and slashed the blast in two. Then he countered with Getsuga Tenshou.

Ashanan immediately disappeared and re-materialized above Ichigo with his katana drawn. Then he dove down for the attack in blurs.

Aware of the attack, Ichigo formed a force field around himself and looked up at his opponent. Then he countered with a slash of his zanpakutou.

Ashanan blocked it, gritting his teeth. How could this guy be so powerful? None of his attacks so far had been effective.

He split himself into two; his clone attacked Ichigo with a slash of his sword. However, as soon as the blade was about a centimeter from Ichigo's stomach, the force field caused the blade to crack.

Ashanan and his clone immediately distanced themselves from their opponent. He shot lightning from one side while his clone blasted a wind energy wave from the other. The two attacks collided in the centre, causing an explosion.

It took a while for the debris and smoke to clear, but when it was fully cleared, Ashanan stared in shock at his unscathed opponent.

With a burst of speed, Ichigo charged toward his opponent with his sword raised. He crouched to a halt on the other side of Ashanan.

A moment later, Ashanan's clone vanished in his spot while Ashanan himself split in half across the waist, unleashing a vast amount of blood. As soon as the halves landed on the ground, they turned to dust.

Silence fell over the room as Ichigo straightened.

Necrios smiled maliciously. "Let that be a lesson to all of you," he said. "_No one_ is to disobey my orders again unless you want to die a horrible death."

"Damn…" Neron whispered in awe.

Lilicia chuckled. "Serves that fucking fool right."

Kraton pushed his glasses up his nose. "What's next?"

"We attack tomorrow," Necrios answered, anticipating the major battle ahead.

* * *

Ichigo, Rukia, and Aiko walked around the back of the Kurosaki household/clinic. Aiko was feeling very nervous, but she also felt excited at the same time. It had been a while since she had seen her grandfather and her aunts.

"If you're feeling nervous, don't," Ichigo spoke up, smiling at Aiko, "since you probably know how your grandfather can be."

Aiko giggled. She definitely knew how Isshin can be, and that made her look forward to seeing him again even more.

Ichigo opened his door, and the three of them stepped inside. "We're home!" He called, waiting for Isshin to ambush him from out of nowhere.

As if on cue, Isshin sent a roundhouse kick toward his son's head. Ichigo immediately blocked it and countered with a side kick, knocking his father onto the ground.

"My son gets better and better each time," Isshin complimented. "I'm so proud!"

"We've got a guest," Ichigo said with a scowl, "so don't make an ass out of yourself."

"Guest?" Isshin repeated as he stood up from the ground. He turned toward Aiko, who was behind Ichigo with Rukia. Immediately, he held out a hand in greeting. "Hello there," he said with a smile. "My name is Kurosaki Isshin."

"She knows who you are," Ichigo said.

Isshin widened his eyes. "How?"

"I'm from the future," Aiko explained. "My name is Kurosaki Aiko." She smiled in amusement, knowing what Isshin might do. "I am Rukia and Ichigo's daughter. Nice to meet you."

The entrance hall went silent for a moment before tears flowed down Isshin's cheeks. Then he ran to the poster of Masaki hanging on one of the kitchen walls. "Kaa-san! WE HAVE A GRANDDAUGHTER! OH! I'M SO HAPPY! THE JOY! OH THE JOY!"

While Rukia and Ichigo rolled their eyes, Aiko laughed. "I've missed that," she said.

At that moment, Karin and Yuzu walked downstairs to see what the commotion is. "What the hell is going on?" Karin demanded with one hand on her hip.

"Ichi-Nii! Rukia-san!" Yuzu exclaimed happily as she ran to her brother and Rukia. "Welcome home!" She flung her arms around Ichigo's waist.

Ichigo hugged his sister back. "Hey Yuzu," he greeted in reply. Then he looked up at Karin. "Hey Karin."

Karin could not help but smile as she also gave her brother a hug. "Hey Ichi-Nii. Hi Rukia-san."

Rukia smiled and curtsied. "Good evening, Yuzu and Karin!"

Then Karin and Yuzu noticed Aiko. "Another girl, Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"This is Kurosaki Aiko," Rukia introduced.

"Nice to meet you!" Aiko curtsied cheerfully.

Karin and Yuzu widened their eyes at the name. "You can't be related to us," Karin said with disbelief.

"Actually, I kind of am," Aiko corrected with a smile. "I'm Ichigo and Rukia's daughter from the future."

"The future?!" Yuzu and Karin repeated in unison.

"Wow!" Yuzu cried out excitedly.

"Anything good happens to us?" Karin inquired.

"Actually," Aiko answered, "you two do fall in love and get married to your sweethearts."

"I seriously hope that it's not Jinta," Karin grumbled.

Yuzu blushed at the name. She had a crush on Jinta for the past couple years.

Aiko shook her head. "Nope, you find someone better."

"Who?!" Karin pressed.

"You'll see when you see him again," Aiko said with a wink.

Ichigo frowned. "However, that future becomes very dark because Soul Society will be completely destroyed by a group of incredibly powerful demons. The World of the Living will probably be affected too."

Isshin, who overheard his son's words, stepped out of the kitchen. "So that's why Aiko's here?"

Aiko nodded with a frown. "Yes, that's right," she replied, "and they followed me and my friend to this timeline."

Yuzu gasped and Karin furrowed her eyebrows. Isshin also frowned. "I see. That is serious indeed. If there's anything I can do, I'd be happy to help."

"Anyway, I'll show you upstairs," Ichigo offered to Aiko.

"Thanks…Dad," Aiko replied, feeling happy that she is among family once again.

Ichigo smiled. It felt a little weird being called that, but at the same time, he was glad to be a father to someone in the future.

He, Rukia, and Aiko walked upstairs to get ready for bed. After all, they had a few very big days ahead of them.

Aiko was very exhuausted when she fell asleep on Ichigo's bed (Ichigo, also very tired, slept on the floor). As soon as she closed her eyes, she immediately found herself in a dream.

_She found herself in a frozen, moonlit meadow with snow-covered trees and ice patches surrounded by snow. What could this place be? She wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly, unsure of how she arrived to such a place._

_The sound of crunching snow made her turn around sharply, and she stood face to face with a woman in a beautiful white kimono. A diamond-embedded, silver diadem rested on top of her ebony hair. Her pale skin was almost as white as her kimono, and her lips were rosy and pink as the sash around her waist. This woman was the most beautiful person that Aiko had ever seen._

_She continued to stare wordlessly at this human—more like entity—stepping toward her with such grace, such perfection. Aiko felt that this woman was flawless and more superior than she was in beauty._

_The woman stopped when she was a few feet away. "Welcome, Aiko," she greeted with a voice that gave Aiko chills._

_It took a while for Aiko to find her voice. "H-h-how d-did…y-you kn-know m-my name? Wh-who…a-are you?" She eventually stammered._

"_My name is Tsukihime, and I am a part of your soul," Tsukihime answered._

_Then Aiko suddenly realized that she had no need to stammer anymore. There was something about this entity that gave her the confidence that she had always been lacking. "Are you my zanpakutou?" She asked, incredulously. _If that's the case, Onii-sama will be mad…, _she thought to herself._

"_I am," Tsukihime answered with a nod._

"_How?" Aiko questioned. "I haven't graduated yet, and it took Onii-sama a while to learn zanjutsu."_

"_You were under a great deal of desperation, and you needed me the most," Tsukihime explained. "Your brother, on the other hand, was different. Karyuu came to him when he was the most desperate and when he was concentrating hard enough. Every shinigami is different."_

_Aiko realized that the spirit was valid in her explanation. It made a lot of sense._

"_What's your power?" She inquired. "Ice?"_

"_My power is your power," Tsukihime corrected. "It's ice but it's also something else…something that would ensure your victory over the Condemned Five."_

"_What is it?" Aiko asked._

"_Purity," Tsukihime said. "When the Condemned Five are hit by the pure light given off by your zanpakutou, they will disintegrate. However, it's up to you to determine where on their bodies is the most vulnerable."_

_Aiko swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. So it was up to her, wasn't it? She had seen the abilities of those demons, and she knew what they were capable of. At least she would have Liliana, her parents and their friends to help._

_Tsukihime sensed Aiko's nervousness. "What I recommend you to do is train with me until you are confident enough to take on such a heavy task."_

"_Can…I see what you would look like? As an actual zanpakutou, I mean."_

_Tsukihime nodded once. She held out her hand, and a bright blue glow appeared in front of Aiko. The glow took the shape of Aiko's katana. Aiko immediately picked it up and took it out of its sheath._

"_Now," Tsukihime instructed, "say the following incantation: brighten the heavens with your purifying light, Tsukihime."_

_Aiko repeated the incantation, and the katana glowed a shimmering bright blue. Then the katana elongated its shape into that of a whip. The blue glow never faded, and Aiko noticed that the whip was diamond-hard with icicle-like ridges on the bottom. An ice fragment adorned the tip. Aiko was amazed by how beautiful and enchanting her zanpakutou looked in its released state._

"_Not only does the whip attack at high speeds," Tsukihime said, "but also, you have 100% defense. The whip can also be stretched at any length, and it can freeze and/or shatter any target it lashes. For instance," she outstretched her hands at her sides, "these rocks will make perfect targets." Giant rocks rose out of the permafrost._

_Aiko nodded in understanding. She lashed the whip out with full strength. To her amazement, it shattered one of the large rocks. Then she immediately her attention to the other mountainous rock, shattering it with as much force as the first._

_Tsukihime was impressed, and she gave a small smile. "Well done, Aiko," she praised, and Aiko smiled proudly at her new sensei. "Keep on training like that, and you are guaranteed to win the upcoming battle," Tsukihime said. "For now, rest and you will feel refreshed in the morning."_

Then, the dream ended, but Aiko was still asleep.

The next morning, Ichigo woke up to find Aiko was still asleep. Not wanting to wake her up, he smiled at her and tiptoed out of his room. She looked so peaceful, and he did not want to disturb her.

He arrived in the kitchen, where Yuzu was making breakfast and Rukia was texting on her phone. "Morning," he said.

"Morning, Onii-chan!" Yuzu greeted cheerfully before going back to work.

Rukia looked up from her phone. "Good morning, Ichigo," she said with a smile. "How is Aiko doing?"

"Still asleep," Ichigo answered.

"Poor girl," Yuzu trailed off with a sad frown. ""It must have been hard to look her friends, family, and home all in one day. She must be exhausted." Then the smile returned to her face. "I know! I'll make her breakfast really special!"

"Either way," Rukia said. "She's still happy to be around her family again, even if they're from the past."

Ichigo nodded. "I agree."

At that moment, Aiko walked into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Good morning," she said wearily yet with a smile.

"Morning, Aiko-chan!" Yuzu greeted as she walked up to Aiko to give her a hug. "How did you sleep?"

Aiko hugged back. "I slept well, thank you."

Rukia's phone vibrated to tell her she had a new message. Flipping her phone open, she immediately went into her inbox to read it. Then she smiled.

"What's up, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and two others are coming to help us," Rukia answered gratefully.

"Two others?" Ichigo repeated. "Which two others?"

"You don't know them," Rukia replied. "They're new recruits that Hirako Shinji had personally appointed to his division. Even though they are new, they have a lot of talent, and Hinamori has agreed, as their mentor, to have them participate in this battle."

Aiko had a feeling about whom Rukia was talking about. If those two were whom she was thinking of, then they might have a slightly better chance.

"When are they coming?" Ichigo wanted to know. "And where?"

Rukia looked at the message on her phone once again. "They'll be at Urahara Shouten any moment."

Yuzu was finished making breakfast by then, and Aiko walked over to help her dish out the food. Using some ketchup, Yuzu drew a smiley face on Aiko's eggs. This made Aiko smile brightly as she took her plate to her place at the table.

Karin and Isshin came down as well, and the family ate their food while conversing. When Karin heard that Hitsugaya was on his way, she begged for Ichigo to let her come with him, Aiko, and Rukia.

"What's up with you and Toshiro?" Ichigo asked with a scowl. He was slightly on edge at the thought of his little sister and Hitsugaya together.

Karin gave her brother a look to kill. "We're just friends, Ichi-nii, and besides, even if I _were_ involved with him, it would be none of your business."

Ichigo scowled harder. "Alright, alright, I get it," he said. "And yeah, you can come. Just as long as you're safe from harm because we don't know when those demons will attack."

Rukia finished the last bit of food she had on her plate and stood up from the table. "If that's the case," she said, "then let's go now."

"I agree," Aiko said as she gave her finished plate to Yuzu. She was eager to try releasing her zanpakutou and training with it. After all, even though she had a dream the previous night, it was very real, and she could sense her newfound powers within her.

"I'll catch up with you kids later," Isshin said. "Until I see you again, good luck!"

After Ichigo, Karin, Aiko, and Rukia made their preparations to go out, they opened the front door to the house and walked outside. Then they quickly hurried toward Urahara's place.

On the way there, Aiko had a question to ask Rukia as they were jogging toward their destination. "Mom?" She asked.

"Yes, Aiko," Rukia replied.

"I…I was wondering if we can train before the enemy arrives," Aiko wanted to know.

Rukia smiled at the request. "Sure," she said. "I would love to see your skills again."

"So would I," Aiko said. Rukia gave a puzzled look at her future daughter. "Last night, I had a dream that my zanpakutou spirit spoke to me," Aiko explained.

Rukia widened her eyes. "Really?"

Aiko nodded. "Yes. I haven't tried it out yet, so that's why I would like to train with you."

Rukia smiled again. "That sounds wonderful. I would love to help you test those new abilities of yours."

"Thanks, Mom," Aiko said with a smile, and Rukia nodded in reply.

They arrived at Urahara Shouten just in time to see a pair of large, double doors slide open. Four butterflies flew through the doors, followed by four shinigami.

Ichigo recognized two of them as Matsumoto Rangiku and Hitsugaya Toshiro. However, the other two shinigamiwere fairly new, as what Rukia had mentioned earlier.

One was a young woman with a proud and confident stare in her green eyes. Her long, flowed past her shoulders, and her zanpakutou rested in its sheath at her side. The other shinigami was a young man with a cold expression on his face and long green hair tied back in a ponytail. His zanpakutou, like the woman's, was rested in its sheath at his hip. They were almost as tall as Matsumoto, and something about their faces indicated that they resembled one another like twins.

Aiko recognized the newcomers easily, but she was slightly confused. Weren't they supposed to be shinigami much later? It did not matter, however, but she was aware of their talents, and they might help them win. That was all what mattered.

"Welcome, Jade and Ruby Carmine," Rukia greeted with a smile.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time…**_

_The cold expression remained on Jade's face, but Ruby smiled in greeting. "Hello, Kuchiki-fukutaichou," she said. "Jade and I look forward to facing these demons alongside you." Then she noticed Ichigo. "Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute shinigami," she said. "I've heard a great deal about you. You're quite the celebrity."_

"_Yeah well, I don't consider myself as such," Ichigo said._

"_And who is this?" Ruby asked, looking at Liliana and Aiko._

"_This is Aiko and Liliana," Urahara said. "They're from the future."_

* * *

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holidays and New Year. As for the ending, yep, I've decided to bring back Jade and Ruby Carmine even though, as what Aiko had thought, were supposed to be Ryuichi's classmates and rivals. But of course, this past is different from the past in the trilogy universe, so I decided to bring them back for this battle (as what I had discussed about with their creator).

Anyway, let me know what you think of this story, and I'll try to update as soon as I can. Take care!


	7. Arrival

**Chapter 7: Arrival**

The cold expression remained on Jade's face, but Ruby smiled in greeting. "Hello, Kuchiki-fukutaichou," she said. "Jade and I look forward to facing these demons alongside you." Then she noticed Ichigo. "Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute shinigami," she said. "I've heard a great deal about you. You're quite the celebrity."

"Yeah well, I don't consider myself as such," Ichigo said.

"And who is this?" Ruby asked, looking at Liliana and Aiko.

"This is Aiko and Liliana," Urahara said. "They're from the future."

"The future?" Ruby repeated, "Oh yes, you two must be those girls that we had heard so much about. Well, we're happy to help. This is a big thing for me and my brother, so we'll get this solved as soon as possible. Won't we, Jade?"

Jade said nothing. In fact, he was not paying attention.

Ruby furrowed her eyebrows and elbowed her brother lightly in the ribs. "Won't we, Jade?" She repeated through her teeth.

"Yeah, that's what we're here for," Jade said.

"This time is running out," Liliana said, "They'll be here soon."

Rukia remembered what she and Aiko had talked about on the way to Urahara Shouten. "Yes, I agree with Liliana. Aiko and I are going to train, and I'm pretty sure that the rest of you would like to train as well."

"That's a great idea," Ruby agreed as she eyed Liliana competitively. "I'd like to see your skills…um what was your name again, Blondie?"

Liliana narrowed her eyes. "First of all, say that to me again, and I'll make you regret it. Second, my name is Liliana Urahara. Third, you're on, bitch."

Ruby smirked at the challenge. "I'll _try _to go easy on you, Liliana." Then she walked past Liliana headed toward the trap door that would lead to the training area beneath the store. "See you soon, Urahara-chan!" When she arrived at the trap door, she disappeared through it.

Liliana gritted her teeth at the red-head that just insulted her. "Ugh! She makes me so fucking mad! I'll kill that fucking bitch with my bare hands if I have to! She'll regret disrespecting me!

Jade, who was also walking past her at that moment, stopped and chuckled at her outburst. "One bit of warning," he said, smirking, "Ruby isn't one to be taken lightly. If you want to 'kill' my sister, you'll need all the luck you can get." Then he also disappeared from view through the trapdoor.

Liliana growled for a moment. Then she calmed down and walked toward the trap door where everyone else was descending into.

She narrowed her eyes when she saw Ruby waiting for her with her katana drawn. Liliana drew her katana and covered her mouth with a piece of fabric attached to her collar.

"So you're not a real shinigami, huh?" Ruby remarked as she studied her sparring opponent closely. "This should be interesting. Then again, you're nothing special!"

Without a word, Liliana went into a fighting stance. Then she burst forward with a flash and slashed her katana at Ruby, who immediately dodged using shunpo. Liliana fired five senbon needles from her other hand, but Ruby parried them off.

Then Ruby charged toward Liliana and slashed her sword. Liliana blocked the attack, and they stalled for a moment. Ruby slashed again, but Liliana blocked it. This repeated for several minutes before Liliana flash-stepped a certain distance away.

Electrical energy enveloped her as she glared at Ruby, who was charging for another attack. The shoulder and back material of Liliana's top vanished into shreds as the aura of white energy grew more intense. Then she punched the ground with tremendous force, screaming, "SHUNKO!"

The ground split into a fault line that slithered toward Ruby, who looked down and immediately dodged the explosion that erupted from beneath her. She cart-wheeled a safe distance away and smirked. "For a Covert Opts member, you surprise me," Ruby commented. "Let's turn this up a bit, shall we?"

"Come at me with all you've got," Liliana said coolly.

"Spread your blazing wings, Hiryuu!" Ruby shouted. Her katana elongated in shape and turned a dark crimson colour. An aura of crimson energy surrounded it.

"Just so you know," Liliana said, "I know the future Ruby very well, and I've seen all of her attacks before. So I highly doubt that you'll win this sparring match of ours."

"Then you know what I'm about to do," Ruby said, still smirking. "Hien Messhoujin!" She slashed her zanpakutou forward, and a wave of crimson energy blasted toward Liliana.

Liliana dodged the blast by flash-stepping into the air. Then she dove down for a download slash of her katana. Ruby immediately blocked the attack and gritted her teeth as she tried to prevent Liliana and going past her defences.

"SHUNKO!" Liliana shouted as the aura of electrical energy returned to her. This increased her strength as she managed to break through Ruby's defenses.

However, Ruby managed to push Liliana off of her before any damage could be done. "Hien Messhoujin!" She shouted as she fired her wave once again.

LIliana activated her Shunko again and slashed at the wave, breaking it into two. Both girls screamed as they charged toward one another one more time. As soon as they collided in the centre, the reiatsu was so intense that it exploded into a huge cloud of dust and debris.

It took a while for the cloud of dust to settle, and Ruby and Liliana were both on the ground, panting from exhaustion.

"I must say…" Ruby said in between breaths, "you're better than what I thought you were."

Liliana lowered the flap of cloth from her mouth and took a few deep breaths. "You're good too," she complimented, "You've earned my respect."

Ruby smiled in response as she stood up slowly from the ground. Then she held her hand out to Liliana. "Here, let me help you up," she offered.

Liliana smiled and grabbed Ruby's hand. Ruby helped her to her feet, and Liliana brushed herself off.

At that moment, Urahara, Ichigo, Renji, Orihime, Ishida, Chad, Hitsugaya, Karin, and Jade walked toward them.

"That was very impressive, you two," Urahara complimented. Then he averted his eyes to Liliana. "Especially you, Liliana. You remind me so much of a younger version of your mother. She taught you well."

"Thanks, Dad," Liliana replied with a smile.

"Are any of you alright?" Orihime asked.

Ruby nodded her head. "Yes, we are," she said, "Just a little bit tired from our sparring match." She reverted her zanpakutou back to normal and sheathed it.

"Well, rest for now," Renji said, "and let's watch Aiko and Rukia's sparring match."

Meanwhile, Rukia and Aiko drew their swords. Rukia smiled at her daughter, who got into a fighting stance.

She also got into a fighting stance. "Come at me with all you've got," she said.

"Brighten the heavens with your purifying light, Tsukihime!" Aiko shouted. Her sword glowed brightly and transformed into a shimmering, blue diamond whip. She lashed the whip forward.

Rukia dodged the attack. "Very good," she praised. She encircled her zanpakutou in front of her. "Mae, Sode no Shiroyuki." The zanpakutou turned into its pristine white form, trailed by a long, silk ribbon.

Aiko lashed her whip again, and Rukia dodged the attack. Aiko lashed her whip several more times, changing the direction of her attack every now and then.

Rukia dodged them all. Then she touched the tip of her blade on the floor four times and pointed it above her toward Aiko. "Tsugi no Mae – Hakuren!" The icy spots transformed into ice ridges, which blasted forwards toward their target.

Aiko immediately dodged the ice blasts and countered with several more lashes, all of which Rukia dodged. Using shunpo, Rukia de-materialized to Aiko's location and swept her zanpakutou in a circular motion across her waist. "Some no Mae – Tsuki Shiro!"

Aiko saw the icy baseline, and she immediately flipped backwards to avoid being engulfed by the icy column. She countered with more lashed, but Rukia dodged them.

"Hadou 33 – Sokatsui!" Rukia shouted. A blue fireball was shot out of her hand.

"_Remember your defense, Aiko!_" The voice of Tsukihime reminded her wielder from within her conscience.

"Right!" Aiko replied. She moved the whip in a circle in front of her to form a shield, which deflected the kidou spell.

"Hadou 73 – Soren Sokatsui!" Rukia yelled, and she fired two blue fireballs.

Aiko spun around quickly, forming a cyclone around her. This parried the fireballs immediately. Then she stopped spinning.

Rukia was impressed by her daughter's skills, and Aiko could admit that she caught on to using her zanpakutou. With a bit more practice, she was sure that she would avenge the deaths of everyone in her timeline.

"I'm very proud of you, Aiko," Rukia said with a smile. "Keep working hard and you'll be stronger in no time."

"Thanks, Mom," Aiko replied.

"Let's join the others for lunch, okay?" Rukia suggested.

"Sure!" Aiko exclaimed. Then they walked back to their group to take a break from training.

* * *

From their hideout in East Karakura, the Condemned Four (as they are now called since Ashanan was killed) and the puppet of Ichigo that Necrios created walked into the main part of town.

"Let's smash this place down," Neron said as he summoned a two-handed sword from his back.

"Do it then," Necrios said. "After all, it's the only to lure Liliana, Aiko, and their allies to us."

"This is going to be so much fun!" Neron exclaimed as he ran to a certain part near him. With a giant sweep of his sword, he slashed through two neighbouring buildings, turning them into rubble. The people who inhabited and were walking near these buildings screamed and barely managed to escape. Then he destroyed more buildings close by, causing more people to panic and evacuate.

Kraton loaded five arrows in his bow and fired them simultaneously at the fleeing civilians. The arrows hit their target, and several people died. He loaded three more arrows and fired at more citizens that were escaping another building that Neron shattered. The more buildings Neron destroyed, the more people tried to escape, only to meet their deaths at Kraton's arrows.

Lilicia also joined in the destruction; she summoned Satanus from her shoulders. At her command, the snake lunged at the crowd, killing each person with his venomous bite.

Necrios and his puppet passed the growing carnage and destruction, searching for Ichigo's friends and family. Even though Puppet Ichigo was in his shinigami form, he was visible to the public, thanks to Necrios's abilities that were added to his own.

Uncomfortable and frightened whispers were heard from the people who stared at Puppet Ichigo and Necrios, who passed by them. "Is that Dr. Kurosaki's son? What's wrong with him? He's got a blank expression on his face. And what are those robes that he is wearing? Who's that man with him? He looks out of the ordinary as well. Just what is going on?"

Necrios smirked as he and his puppet stopped by the Kurosaki clinic. Isshin, clad in his shinigami garments, stepped out of his house. Yuzu was hiding somewhere in the house, worried about her father.

Isshin glared at Necrios. "I can hear destruction and panicking not too far away. So you're responsible for that." Then he widened his eyes when he saw Ichigo beside Necrios. "Ichigo?" His eyes averted back to Necrios. "What the HELL did you do to my son?!"

Necrios laughed as Ichigo stared blankly at the past version of his father. "In the future, during our invasion of Soul Society, I killed your son using my deadliest attack. Then when we arrived here, I revived him to make him into my weapon, adding several of my own abilities to his own. Since he's now my puppet as you would say, he can do whatever I say, and he is now a part of me. Allow me to demonstrate. Ichigo, kill him."

Ichigo summoned Tensa Zangetsu into his hand and slashed it forward, unleashing a Getsuga Tenshou at his father. Isshin drew his sword and tried to block the powerful energy wave.

He gritted his teeth as he tried to parry the dark energy wave away, but it proved to be very difficult to do so. There was one more thing he had to do. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" He screamed as he fired his own powerful energy wave, cancelling out the one that Ichigo had fired.

Ichigo slashed his zanpakutou at his father, who dodged it using shunpo. Ichigo noticed Isshin at a distance from his house, and he charged toward him.

Isshin was ready to block and counter any attack. As soon as Ichigo clashed with him, they fought on the street, slashing their blades at one another and blocking each slash. Isshin flicked his fingers on his other hand, unleashing a burst of energy. However, to his shock, it did not affect Ichigo.

Isshin stepped backwards, not believing how powerful his opponent was. He could not believe that he was being overwhelmed by his own son, even if he was from the future. There was something else that made Ichigo more powerful. Then he remembered why that would be the case.

_Necrios laughed as Ichigo stared blankly at the past version of his father. "In the future, during our invasion of Soul Society, I killed your son using my deadliest attack. Then when we arrived here, I revived him to make him into my weapon, adding several of my own abilities to his own. Since he's now my puppet as you would say, he can do whatever I say, and he is now a part of me. Allow me to demonstrate. Ichigo, kill him."_

This made Isshin hate Necrios even more. He tightened his hold on his zanpakutou as he charged toward Necrios, not wanting to fight his son anymore. Instinctively, Ichigo flash-stepped between both men and slashed Isshin up the chest, unleashing a vast amount of blood from his wound.

Isshin grunted as he collapsed backwards onto the ground. Ichigo flicked his zanpakutou to the side, splashing his father's blood from the blade.

"He never stood a chance," Necrios said. "Good work, my puppet." His mouth turned upward into a sadistic smile.

Inside the house, Yuzu watched in horror as she saw her father be defeated by who she initially thought was her brother. Of course, she knew that that could not be her brother because of what he wore and how he acted. She quickly ducked from view, and tears streamed down her face. She was glad that Karin was not there to see this, but she wished that this nightmare would end already. "Onii-chan…please…" She sobbed, "Please help us!"

* * *

Liliana, Aiko, and their friends and family from the past had a quick lunch, which was cooked by Tessai, and then they went back to training.

Karin, who was watching Hitsugaya train, had an uneasy feeling. She looked up in alarm. "Yuzu! Dad!" She whispered.

Ichigo, who was sparring against Jade, also had a terrible feeling. He also noticed Karin's shock several kilometers away. However, he snapped back to reality when he easily dodged an incoming scythe attack courtesy of Jade.

"Hey Kurosaki!" Jade shouted, "You're not paying attention for some reason. I thought we were sparring."

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo shouted as he fired an enormous energy wave from his zanpakutou, causing Jade to barely dodge the powerful attack.

"We're done," Ichigo said as Jade stood up from the ground. Then Ichigo turned to his friends, daughter, and sister. "It's time to head to battle. Karin, did you feel that sensation?"

Karin ran toward her brother, followed by Hitsugaya, who was concerned for her. "Dad's seriously hurt and Yuzu's in serious trouble."

Ichigo nodded. "We have to go. Inoue, come with us. However, Karin, you have to stay here."

Knowing what her brother meant, Karin reluctantly nodded. Then she turned toward Hitsugaya. "Please don't die, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya smiled. "Don't worry. I promised you nothing's going to happen to any of us, and we'll do what we can to defend Karakura and protect Yuzu and your father."

Karin smiled, knowing in her heart the truth behind her best friend's words. She threw her arms around Hitsugaya's neck. The tenth division captain blushed as he wrapped his arms tightly around Karin's waist. Then they separated and Hitsugaya tuned to the rest of his friends.

"Let's go," he said.

"Right," everyone else said in unison.

Matsumoto gave her captain a knowing smile. She knew that something was going on between her captain and the Kurosaki girl, and it was a matter of time before the two of them started a romantic relationship.

* * *

In Karakura, Necrios stepped toward the Kurosaki residence, and Puppet Ichigo stepped over a dying Isshin to join him. "There's someone else in here," Necrios noticed, "I can feel her fear." He chuckled. "Yes, that's your younger sister. You know what to do."

Ichigo slashed Tensa Zangetsu forward, unleashing a black Getsuga Tenshou wave at the house. Upon impact, the Kurosaki residence exploded into pieces of splintered wood and debris, causing Yuzu to scream and cover her head.

At that moment, a black blur dove down the demolished house, scooped Yuzu into his arms, and zipped back onto the street. Necrios and Puppet Ichigo turned around to face Orihime, Aiko, and, with an unconscious Yuzu in his arms, Ichigo (the one from this timeline, that is).

Ichigo growled at the ones that blew up his house. "So _you're_ responsible for destroying a part of my town," he averted his eyes to his father who was lying in a pool of his own blood, "and what happened to him." He turned to Orihime, and said, "Inoue, you know what to do."

Orihime nodded as she ran toward Isshin. Then she held out her hands, and two golden bolts of light flew from her hairclip and separated on either end of Isshin. This formed a shield, which started to heal his wounds.

Aiko could not believe that she saw her own father—her _real_ father—standing with Necrios. "D-Daddy," she stammered, her eyes brimming with tears.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder at Aiko, who was full of emotion at the sight of her father. His eyes softened for he could tell that she was breaking apart.

"Daddy…" Aiko repeated as tears streamed down her cheeks.

* * *

_**Next time on Condemned Time…**_

_Ichigo growled at his opponent. He had tried to unleash everything he had against this other version of himself, but he is the only one who is heavily bruised and cut. It was no surprise though because this was possibly going to be him in thirty years from now. Still, he knew he had to make him pay for what he tried to do to his own daughter, even if he was no longer the father that she loved. He powered up for a huge attack and slashed his zanpakutou forward. "GETSUGA…TENSHOU!" He screamed as another energy wave was fired from his blade._

_At the same time, his opponent fired the same wave, and both energy waves collided in the centre._

* * *

And there's chapter 7! Sorry for the long updates, but you can understand that I've been busy and I had writer's block. So it's kind of hard to write these days. Ah well, at least you have a few epic chapters to look forward to—the first one being Ichigo versus the puppet that Necrios created. Who will win? You see next chapter!

In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Take care!


	8. Ichigo vs Ichigo

**Chapter 8: Ichigo vs. Ichigo**

Aiko stared at her father in horror while Ichigo glared at the enemies in front of them. He knew that the one that looked exactly like him was his counterpart from the future, but why he would work with evil was unfathomable.

Then Ichigo remembered that Aiko mentioned that everyone in her timeline except for herself and Liliana were killed. So the demon that was standing in front of him was responsible for Aiko's pain, and the future version the Kurosaki was there because one of the demon's abilities was to revive the victims he killed and force them to work under him. That thought angered him, but the knowledge that the demon and his "apprentice" messed with his family was even more infuriating. Since Aiko was technically his daughter, she was part of his family, and he vowed to protect her from anything that this demon would do.

"Daddy…" Aiko repeated.

"Aiko, I hate to say this, but that's not your father anymore," Ichigo said. "Please try to understand that even if your _real_ father were still alive right now, he would _not_ work with the likes of _him_. I'm going to stop him, but first, Inoue?"

Orihime looked up from healing Isshin. "Yes, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked.

Without taking his eyes off of his future counterpart and Necrios, Ichigo side-stepped toward her and carefully laid Yuzu beside his father. "Heal Yuzu as well," he instructed, "her wounds might not be as serious as Dad's, but she's still in need of healing."

Orihime nodded as she extended her healing shield onto Yuzu as well. "Are you going to fight them?" She motioned her head toward Puppet Ichigo and Necrios.

Ichigo curled his lips into a snarl. "Yes."

Necrios laughed. "Oh really? And you think you can defeat us?"

"I don't _think_ I'm going to defeat you," Ichigo growled as he removed his zanpakutou from his back, "I _know_ I can defeat you."

Necrios laughed again. "You're just that clueless, aren't you? Surely you should have figured out by now that I killed your future self in his timeline even after he had given me everything he had. So if he couldn't defeat me, then you have _zero _chance of defeating me. Also, he has more experience than you do because well, as you can see, he's a captain 30 years your senior." Then he averted his eyes to Aiko. "But whom I _really_ wanted to flush out was _her_. Aiko, let's see how you'll react if your dear _father_ would attack you. Ichigo, kill her."

Puppet Ichigo immediately sprung into action. Using shunpo, he jumped into the air and dove down for the attack.

Aiko gasped with shock and fear as tears streamed down her cheeks. In a furious rage, Ichigo blocked the attack and managed to push his future counterpart back. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" He held his zanpakutou in front of him, and reiatsu surrounded him in intense waves. "Step back, Aiko! BANKAI!"

Aiko and Orihime shielded their faces as wind blew past their hair. Understanding her father's words, Aiko quickly shuffled backwards, closer to Orihime. Orihime immediately pulled Aiko beside her and then created a triangular shield between them and the fight nearby.

Ichigo slashed his zanpakutou to the side to blow the smoke and debris away. "Tensa Zangetsu," he said.

Both Ichigos charged toward one another, and as soon as they clashed at the centre, they immediately started to slash at one another. Every time Ichigo slashed at his opponent, Puppet Ichigo blocked every attack easily and countered with an overwhelmingly powerful slash. Ichigo barely blocked it and countered once again.

This seemed to go on for a while until Puppet Ichigo made a low sweep of his zanpakutou, causing Ichigo to jump out of the way. Puppet Ichigo jumped after him and fired a black Getsuga Tenshou. Ichigo tried to fire his own Getsuga Tenshou to cancel the energy wave, but the opposing energy wave swallowed his, and he tried to parry it away. However, all it did was push him back. Ichigo gritted his teeth as he tried to fight it off, but that did not last for much longer. The energy wave overpowered him, and Ichigo barely managed to dodge it. However, it tattered his robes and left burns on his arms and face.

Puppet Ichigo charged after Ichigo and slashed several more times. Ichigo blocked those, but he could not counter because Puppet Ichigo continued to slash at him, pushing him back.

Ichigo gritted his teeth as he tried to defend himself. He knew that if he made one wrong move, he would be slashed. However, his opponent was making it difficult to fight back. _Damn it! _He cursed to himself.

They clashed for a while longer and then stalled for a while longer. Ichigo tried desperately to fight through his opponent's defences, but to no avail.

Suddenly, Puppet Ichigo succeeded in slashing through Ichigo's defenses, and his zanpakutou made a deep cut through his shoulder. Ichigo shrieked in pain as he stumbled backwards, holding his injured shoulder.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried.

"Daddy!" Aiko cried in unison with Orihime.

Puppet Ichigo charged toward Ichigo and kicked him in the stomach, causing him to grunt and shriek some more. Then he elbowed him in the back of the neck, causing him to crash into the ground.

Ichigo was out for a few seconds, but when he came to, he got to his feet, coughing for he was out of breath from the kick to his stomach. "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" He shouted as he fired his blast toward his opponent, who dodged immediately.

Then Puppet Ichigo flew down and slashed Ichigo some more. Ichigo tried to dodge and block, but the overwhelming blows were really difficult to avoid.

"Daddy is losing," Aiko trailed off. "There's no way that he can win."

"Aiko-chan," Orihime said. She wished that there was something that she could say to the girl, but she knew that she was also right. Ichigo's opponent was the future version of himself, so he has more experience, and any hidden abilities that he may have acquired from Necrios would also make it difficult for Ichigo to defeat him.

Ichigo growled at his opponent. He had tried to unleash everything he had against this other version of himself, but he is the only one who is heavily bruised and cut. It was no surprise though because this was possibly going to be him in thirty years from now. Still, he knew he had to make him pay for what he tried to do to his own daughter, even if he was no longer the father that she loved.

He powered up for a huge attack and slashed his zanpakutou forward. "GETSUGA…TENSHOU!" He screamed as another energy wave was fired from his blade.

At the same time, his opponent fired the same wave, and both energy waves collided in the centre.

As both attacks collided in the middle, Ichigo winced at Jade, who was standing behind Puppet Ichigo. He was not sure why Jade was there, but he could use a bit of help.

"Do it, Jade!" He screamed over the loud vibrations of the still colliding Getsuga Tenshou's.

Jade nodded. "Resonate, Denkimaru!" He yelled.

"I don't think so," Necrios said dangerously tone. He dematerialized to Jade's position and kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing into a building.

"Jade! Spread your blazing wings, Hiryuu!" Ruby shouted as she charged towards Necrios, who rolled his eyes. "Hien Messhoujin!" She fired her signature attack at Necrios, but he parried her attack easily with a few tendrils.

"Hm, you twins are persistent," Necrios said, "No matter, you're both going to die again anyway," He grabbed Ruby by the throat and proceeded to throw her in the same direction as her brother. "Interfere between the battle again, and I'll kill you all, understand?"

"Jade! Ruby!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Kurosaki-kun! Watch out!" Orihime shouted.

Ichigo noticed that his opponent was beginning to overpower him. "Shit! You're not overpowering me _this_ time! HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" As he screamed, his Getsuga Tenshou grew even more powerful, and it began to overpower Puppet Ichigo. Ichigo continued to scream, and he barely managed to completely overpower his opponent.

Thinking that he had won, Ichigo made his Getsuga Tenshou disappear.

Aiko winced with surprise. Did her past father win? She knew that it would take a miracle to defeat his future counterpart, but deep inside, she really hoped that he _did_ win.

However, as soon as the smoke cleared, Puppet Ichigo was still standing unscathed. He had conjured his energy shield to deflect the Getsuga Tenshou that overpowered.

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed under his breath. He was not sure if he had any reiatsu left. The more attempts he tried to defeat his opponent, the more times he failed and got himself hurt in the process. However, he could _not _give up.

Necrios smiled widely. He knew that his creation's opponent was losing, and he was ready to savour this moment.

Puppet Ichigo put a hand to his face, and Ichigo's eyes widened. "God damn it!" He cursed again. Puppet Ichigo whipped his hand across his face, making his hollow mask appear. This created a dense atmosphere, which paralyzed both girls.

"Unbelievable," Ichigo said under his breath. _Can I still do that?_

However, before he could find out for himself, Puppet Ichigo charged toward him once again and started to slash at him repeatedly in a very fast motion. Ichigo tried to defend himself, but his opponent's attacks were even more overwhelming. He ended up getting slashed even more.

Puppet Ichigo backhanded Ichigo onto the ground. Ichigo tried to grab his zanpakutou and stand up, but Puppet Ichigo stepped on his hand, causing him to yell. Then tendrils exited Puppet Ichigo's shoulders and began lashing Ichigo's body, causing him to scream even more.

"NO, DADDY!" Aiko screamed.

Tears streamed down Orihime's cheeks. She had seen Ichigo get beaten up before her, but he had always been resilient and finished his battles with a victory. However, she had a really terrible feeling about this battle. These opponents were nothing like the ones that Ichigo had faced. "Kurosaki…kun…"

Ichigo lay there barely conscious. He could barely move from the blood loss. He managed to turn his head to face Aiko crying for him. "Don't…cry…Aiko," he whispered.

The tendrils disappeared back within Puppet Ichigo's body, and he prepared to stab his zanpakutou through his past counterpart's neck.

Necrios laughed. "How does it feel to be killed by your own zanpakutou, Kurosaki! Finish him, my masterpiece," he ordered, relishing in this moment.

"Fuck…you," Ichigo said. Then he smiled. "However…if you must…do it. You…don't exist…anyway…not anymore."

Puppet Ichigo lifted Zangetsu and plunged it into Ichigo's neck.

Aiko screamed as she buried her face in Orihime's chest. Orihime wrapped her arms around Aiko to calm her down, but it was not easy to do so for the girl was trembling and crying for her father. "I'm useless! I'm so useless!" Aiko cried.

"No you're not," Orihime soothed.

"Yes I am!" Aiko exclaimed, her voice muffled as she cried into Orihime's chest. "I couldn't protect my family in my timeline, and I can't protect my father in this one!"

"There's nothing that you can do, Aiko-chan," Orihime said, sobbing as well, "Your father told you not to get involved. Your father told you to be safe. I know it's hard, but please try to listen."

Aiko peeked at the puppet version of her father, who stood over his past counterpart.

* * *

Now, before Aiko, Ichigo, Jade, Ruby, and Orihime arrived at that area, they, as well as Rukia, Renji, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, and Liliana had an agreement to split up so that they can affect their enemies effectively. Initially, Jade was supposed to go with Rukia and Matsumoto, and Ruby was supposed to go with Hitsugaya and Liliana. However, when they sensed that Ichigo was in trouble, they decided to go help him.

When Rukia and Matsumoto were going to face Lilicia, Rukia felt a terrible sensation and looked up in alarm. _It couldn't be! He…lost? _"ICHIGO!" She screamed as she tried to fight her tears.

"Rukia," Matsumoto whispered. She squeezed her eyes shut as she also tried to fight her tears.

Lilicia laughed maniacally. "So your boyfriend has died, huh? How about you join him?!" She transformed into her demon form and swooped down to attack Rukia.

"RUKIA, WATCH OUT!" Matsumoto shouted.

Rukia looked up and dodged the attack. She knew that she had to push aside her emotions right now if she was going to win this battle. "Bring it on, bitch!" She quickly circled her zanpakutou around herself. "Mae – Sode no Shiroyuki!"

* * *

Just when everyone thought that Ichigo was killed, a miracle happened. Puppet Ichigo's eyes narrowed when he saw his past counterpart's eyes open in a piercing glare.

"What's the meaning of this?!" Necrios exclaimed. "He shouldn't have survived! NO ONE survives a stab to the neck! Just what the fuck is he?!"

"Daddy's…alive?" Aiko half-whispered as she separated herself from Orihime, who breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Sure enough, Ichigo was alive. Lines of flowing reiatsu resembling veins formed briefly only neck, acting as a shield to prevent him from dying.

Puppet Ichigo removed his zanpakutou from Ichigo's neck and stepped back. Ichigo barely stood up despite the blood loss, and he continued to glare at his opponent. He held out his zanpakutou in front of his face. "Let's finish this," he said coolly.

Puppet Ichigo immediately charged for another attack, and Ichigo blocked, but he was pushed back by the overwhelming force. However, he kept his cool as he tried to fight back.

"Kurosaki-kun is still weakened from blood loss," Orihime noted with worry. This increased Aiko's worries again. "He'll eventually fall if he doesn't stop this," Orihime continued, "if that happens, he won't get up again. It's a miracle that he's alive right now, but I don't think it will be enough. Oh Kurosaki-kun, please don't die!" She looked to the side quickly.

However, Aiko's eyes continued to be glued to the scene. She was amazed that her father survived, and she was ready to protect him at the right moment, despite what he told her.

Both Ichigo's clashed and stalled one another. However, as both girls predicted, it would not last long. With one giant slash, Puppet Ichigo swung his zanpakutou, shattering Ichigo's blade into pieces. Puppet Ichigo followed through with his attack and severely injured Ichigo's other shoulder.

Ichigo screamed with pained agony as he fell back. Orihime and Aiko screamed in unison as they watched in horror. Puppet Ichigo held out his hand, and reiatsu started to form at his fingertips.

"Cero!" Aiko exclaimed. This was the last straw; she had to do something before she could suffer another loss. She drew her zanpakuou.

"A-Aiko-chan! What are you doing?!" Orihime protested. "You can't possibly be thinking…"

Aiko cut her off. "I'm going! I can't stand this anymore!" An aura of reiatsu surrounded her. "Brighten the heavens with your purifying light, Tsukihime!" Her zanpakutou transformed into ice-diamond whip.

"Aiko-chan! Wait!" Orihime yelled, but Aiko disappeared using shunpo. "Damn it, Aiko-chan…" Orihime muttered with frustration.

"Got any last words, Kurosaki?" Necrios asked, "Or maybe more tricks up your sleeve?" Ichigo said nothing; he just lay still with a dazed stare in his eyes. "That's what I thought," Necrios said, "Finish him, Ichigo."

Before Puppet Ichigo could fire his cero, Aiko lashed her whip at him, causing him to turn around sharply. The cero disappeared from his fingertips.

"What now?" Necrios asked impatiently.

"DIE, IMPOSTOR!" Aiko screamed as she lashed her whip again. Before Puppet Ichigo can avoid it and counter it, the whip wrapped around his zanpakutou. Aiko tugged on the weapon, completing the disarm.

Necrios chuckled. "This one's on fire today," he stated, "Never seen her like this before."

Aiko lashed her whip again, shattering through Puppet Ichigo's shield and striking his heart. Puppet Ichigo turned to ice immediately and shattered into a million shards before disappearing.

* * *

_**~Next Time on Condemned Time~**_

_Orihime rushed to Ichigo's side and saw that he was barely alive but breathing. "Kurosaki-kun! Don't worry, I'll heal you!" She held out her hands, and her golden shield formed over him._

_Nearby, a bolt of crimson reiatsu flew from Ruby's zanpakutou and disappeared into her. She immediately woke up and her wounds were healed. "Wow…how did that happen?" She whispered to herself. Then she saw Jade lying next to her. "Jade! Wake up!"_

* * *

Well this story's going to come to a close in about two or three chapters, and even though, it's quite short, it was still pretty hard to write, but I managed to pull through. Anyway, what do you guys think of the chapter? Let me know in the review text box down below!


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